


Take It Slow

by hydingjekyll



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Friendship, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Friendship, college!!, go to twitter for more info, i have a slight crush on haknyeon and this is the child of that slight crush, i just want domestic tbz is that bad, idk what to tag tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:55:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 67,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24640447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hydingjekyll/pseuds/hydingjekyll
Summary: Changmin thought dating didn't fit in his schedule as an idol. Mia thought the same as a uni student. But maybe, being busy together with someone isn't that bad. [To be read with Twitter AU @sweeetapplee]
Relationships: Ji Changmin | Q/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 52





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is the other half of my Twitter AU (found at https://twitter.com/sweeetapplee/status/1269815887466385411) so I advise reading this with that. Aside from that, this is my first attempt at an AU and this is my first tbz fic so please be merciful

Changmin volunteered (forced was the right word) to buy some canned goods in the nearby convenience store. Of course, he didn't do it alone. Haknyeon was with him. He wasn't sure if it was a smart idea to bring one of the gluttons with him but he had no choice. Sangyeon told Haknyeon to come with him. At least, Haknyeon was easy to get along with despite being so whiny. Maybe it was because of the one year difference or it's because Haknyeon didn't have anyone in the group who had the same age as him. All Changmin knew was that he felt really comfortable with Haknyeon. It was just that Changmin was forced to go on this errand because of how hungry Haknyeon can get. 

"Are we really going to buy only canned goods?" Haknyeon whined. Changmin looked up and thought about it. Sure, this was supposed to be a punishment for the younger member but he didn’t want them to eat nothing during their time out. 

"If we have extra cash, we can buy ice cream. Call?" Changmin offered which the younger member gladly accepted. Haknyeon suddenly started skipping as they entered the convenience store, earning a glance from the worker behind the cash register. 

That's when they realized that the employee was new to the area. She looked young, around their age. She smiled at them, bowed and greeted them, as convenience store employees do. They greeted back. 

"I wonder when she was hired here. She seems like someone new," Haknyeon commented while he carefully went through the snack aisle, "I wonder if she knows us?"

"She didn't react like she knew us," Changmin commented, checking off the list Sangyeon gave him earlier," Maybe she doesn't like K-pop?"

"We can ask her, you know. We've done more shameless stuff before," Haknyeon suggested. Changmin looked uneasy with that. Sure, that could work if she was older but she looked like she was in her early twenties. Maybe she was the same age as either of them. Changmin sometimes had some kind of courage to approach people and ask them if they knew The Boyz, but it was difficult without any mission or camera filming them. 

"You ask. I'll just go get the other things hyung asked me to buy," Changmin said. Haknyeon nodded and proceeded to head to the counter. Changmin glanced from the side of his eye at the conversation Haknyeon was having with the cashier. He noticed that the former was using his charm on the latter, making her smile. 

When Changmin went to the counter, the two of them looked like new friends. 

"Hyung, this is Mia. She's the same age as me!" Haknyeon gleamed," She also studies in the college near here. Though she doesn't want to share where or what her major is."

"It's called privacy," her talking voice was different from her greeting voice. It was slightly deeper and suited her more. Mia looked at both of them from head to toe and looked confused. "Are you celebrities by any chance? I mean, you look familiar."

"Do you watch TV often, Mia-ssi?" Changmin asked, " You might have seen us there."

She frowned and shrugged. "No, not often. My world's right here, " she raised her phone," Anyway, you must be in a hurry so I'll just take this."

Mia quickly took the basket from Changmin's hands and proceeded to scan these items. As she was doing so, both boys recognized the song she was humming. 

"What song is that?" Haknyeon had the guts to ask. 

"I think... Salty? I heard it from a friend before and I liked it, " she said as she put the items in a plastic bag," Why?"

"Then you know us!" Haknyeon gleefully said, clasping his hands together, " We're the artists of the song!"

Haknyeon started to sing a few of his lines, and that meant the second verse of the song. Changmin could only chuckle as he saw Mia's facial expression. Her face turned red due to the embarrassment that she didn't recognize the artists of the song she was currently addicted to. She mumbled the total of the items they were buying and kept fumbling with her words. Changmin found it cute. 

"I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. Receipt?" she said as she raised the receipt. Both of them nodded and smiled at her. 

"It's okay. You only use Spotify then? I assume you don't watch videos," Changmin asked. She nodded. 

"I did watch one stage of Salty. I guess that's why you two looked familiar," she added, " Anyways, I wish you luck on your career. You have a lot of members to feed so I think you should go ahead now."

"Thanks, Mia-ssi," Changmin waved a bit, " And oh yeah, I'm Changmin. I'm older than Haknyeon."

"Nice to meet you," she waved back at him," And I hope to see you perform live soon."

"I'll give you a ticket to a music show if you want to, " Haknyeon winked. She laughed. 

"Maybe I'll take you on your offer, Haknyeon."

As the pair walked back to their dorm, Changmin wondered about people like Mia. Yeah, it was possible for people not to go on Youtube often. Seeing that Mia juggled her job in the convenience store and college, he figured out she didn't have that much time to consider going into entertainment news. He just kind of expected that someone as young as her could recognize them. 

"We have to work harder. We're not that universally known yet," Haknyeon said under his breath," Anyways, we're halfway through our contract. And I've been thinking about wanting to date."

"Well, that's new," Changmin commented," Where did this urge come from? Your batchmates?"

"I didn't have time when I was a trainee. I think I can juggle a relationship right now."

"But we're active idols from a small company, Haknyeon. It isn't that simple to date."

"It's easy if you can hide it well. And by that, I mean only going on dates at ungodly hours and inviting her to private property so Dispatch won't catch a glimpse of her."

"Who do you have in mind anyway?"

"No one yet," Haknyeon paused," I might ask some old friends about it, like my classmates back in high school or my current blockmates. I did ask the maknae line about it but they shot down the idea of me dating any of their friends."

Changmin whistled, laughing at the idea of Haknyeon dating. 

"We should have Sangyeon-hyung date first before you meet someone. We don't want him to grow old and alone."

"As if there's a big age gap, " Haknyeon rolled his eyes, " If I find someone, I'd be happy. If not, I'll wait. How about you? What do you think about dating?"

"I think I'm not ready yet? Dancing already consumes most of my time. If I dated someone, I should give her time too but I can't set aside dancing."

"An answer I expected," Haknyeon whistled. "But it's normal in show business to date. Just don't get caught. And I think a girl suitable to hyung is someone who understands your priorities. There are girls who are low maintenance."

"Yeah, I think a casual relationship would fit me well," Changmin nodded," Anyway, we forgot one thing."

"Oh--" Haknyeon gasped when he realized about the ice cream. He was so distracted with Mia that ice cream went to the back of his mind. 

"Don't worry. I think there's a small shop near here where we can buy popsicle sticks. I think our money's enough for that," Changmin reassured him. Haknyeon exhaled, relieved that he still had the chance to eat ice cream. Changmin was about to trick him into thinking they only had mint chocolate, which Haknyeon hated with a passion, but he stopped himself because the younger one looked so excited about it. He didn't want to burst his bubble. It was sort of because of Haknyeon that he was able to have ice cream. 

After buying the popsicle sticks (Changmin got a watermelon flavored one while Haknyeon got a mango flavored one), the topic shifted to Mia from the convenience store. Haknyeon called him by her name, Changmin, as someone who didn't really talk to her, called her convenience store lady sometimes. 

"She reminds me of New-hyung," Haknyeon said, biting the tip of the popsicle off," A part timer, chasing her dreams."

"Nah, don't glorify Hee," Changmin laughed," With his built and his skin tone? He's rich for sure. Mia looked normal to me."

"That is true! Maybe Chanhee-hyung wanted to buy more than he could afford back then," Haknyeon thought about it before deciding not to pursue the thought anymore. "Anyway, she's cute."

"Cute? So you want to date her?" Changmin asked. Haknyeon finished his popsicle stick then shrugged. 

"If we click, we click. I mean, I can make her fall in love with me if I like her. I might ask her out to test the waters but aside from that, I’m not actively pursuing her," Haknyeon answered confidently. Changmin chuckled. Haknyeon's confidence was really on a different level. Maybe that's why he was the one sent to Produce 101 when they were trainees. That kind of ambitious attitude did take him far in the show. Luckily though, he wasn't part of the final members or their debut could've been stalled. 

"So you'll visit her there?" Changmin used his head to point back to the convenience store. Haknyeon wagged his finger as he pulled a small piece of paper from his pocket. 

"I asked for her number, and she gave it to me. She said I look like I can be trusted," Haknyeon gloated. Changmin rolled his eyes when he realized Haknyeon was telling the truth.

"She must be blind," Changmin said, resulting to the younger looking away. 

"Anyway, I'll ask her to hang out. The worst thing that could happen is gaining a friend," Haknyeon clasped his hands," And gain a friend I did."

"Yeah, buddy, you did, " Changmin patted his back, slightly pinching Haknyeon’s shoulder. 

As soon as Changmin entered their dorm, he could hear Chanhee’s voice from his room. He was sure Eric did something to earn that. Changmin dropped the paper bag on the table in their kitchen and ordered Haknyeon to organize it, since all he did when they went out was flirt with the cashier. Haknyeon didn’t argue with the older member because he knew the reasoning was true. He only did flirt with the cashier and eat ice cream. 

“Hee-yah, can you shut up for a minute?” Changmin slipped his head into the room of his best friend. He wasn’t surprised to find Chanhee holding one of Eric’s plushies as hostage. 

“Eric’s the one not shutting up!” Chanhee shot a glare at the youngest member. Poor Eric was on his knees, begging Chanhee not to hurt his baby Pikachu. 

“Hyung, he did nothing to deserve this!” Eric exclaimed. Changmin sighed before closing the door.. He knew he couldn’t stop the two from the chaos they started. They were the noisiest roommates Changmin had ever encountered. Sure, the fundamental thing for roommates was their cleanliness, which Chanhee and Eric were perfect for each other for. But with other aspects, such as their preference for noise and their time of sleep sometimes, they were total opposites. Sometimes, Chanhee had to crash on Changmin’s bed just to get some peace and quiet. 

“Where are the others?” Changmin asked, noticing that there were only, like, half of the members in the dorm. Younghoon sat up from his relaxed position on the living room’s sofa and answered rather timidly,” MoonBae, Arirang. SangJu, gym. NewRic, room. SunHak, kitchen. Hyunjae, I don’t know.” 

Changmin thanked the older member for the rundown and sat next to him. Minutes after, Sunwoo and Haknyeon were carrying snacks to the living room. Sunwoo was holding on his juice and a small packet of fruit salad. Haknyeon had various flavors of potato chips. The pair sat on the floor, in front of the table. 

“Where’s the remote, hyung?” Sunwoo asked the older members on the sofa. Younghoon looked around and saw the remote squeezed in the corner of the cushion of the sofa. He took it and tossed it to the rapper. Sunwoo thanked him before turning on the TV.

“What are you two planning on watching?” Changmin asked. Haknyeon answered for Sunwoo, since the latter was too busy choosing what to watch. 

“We don’t know. I just know Sunwoo is in the mood for something….” Haknyeon was searching for the right word,” Romantic? Sentimental? Something that can make him feel in love?” 

“Why not date instead?” Changmin joked. Sunwoo shot a look. Of course, Sunwoo was the type to be content with movies and songs when it comes with his romantic endeavors. Aside from that, Changmin knew that Sunwoo wasn’t ready to date yet. He already expressed that after Changmin asked him about dating when Sunwoo finished watching a shoujo anime. 

“Reminds me!” Haknyeon snapped his fingers before he took out his phone from his pocket. Changmin guessed he was going to text the cashier they met earlier. 

“Reminds you of what?” Younghoon asked, still staring at his phone screen. Haknyeon showed him a mischievous smile before wagging his secret. He looked like he wanted to keep it a secret from the members for now. Changmin didn’t know what was the reasoning behind it. But he guessed Haknyeon didn’t want any questions or interrogations from the older members. Haknyeon was, after all, one of the youngest members. Since Hyunjun was forced to leave the group, Haknyeon suddenly got a pass into the maknae line. And the older members had the tendency to be protective of the maknae line. The 98 liners were in the middle of the age sandwich, although Juyeon sometimes got into the older clique. 

“Shh!” Sunwoo glared at the other members when the movie started. He finally chose a movie to watch, which was ‘La La Land.’ Changmin already watched the musical by himself, but he guessed the two members in front of him didn’t yet. Jacob did mention the film a few times to them and right after he watched it, they always caught him singing the songs he discovered through that film. That reminds Changmin, he should watch more musical movies, and musicals in general. He could ask out his friends if they wanted to hang out on one of his day-offs. 

Around fifteen minutes into the movie, Chanhee and Eric went out of their room to join the members in the living room. Chanhee joined the older members on the sofa and Eric joined the younger members on the floor, going hand first into the snacks Haknyeon brought. That was a normal afternoon in The Boyz dorm, boys watching a movie about romance in Hollywood. 

Mia sighed as she signed out of her shift. She basically worked two shifts in a row, just because she couldn’t say no to being treated to a meal one of these days. It was around 7 PM at that point, and she guessed her sister was still in cram school. She needed to pass by the grocery to buy ingredients for the Lee family dinner. She wasn’t even sure if her dad would be at home for dinner. They rarely ate together recently. Mia was too busy with university and her part time jobs. Her father was too busy with his contractual work as a plumber, and generally a handyman. Her little sister, Lee Hana, was too busy with middle school and preparing for her high school entrance exams. 

“Maybe…” She looked up to the sky. Because of how bright the lights are in Seoul, she knew that she would hardly see the stars, but the lack of stars seemed comforting sometimes. She tried to imagine whatever food she could prepare, before concluding to just cook some curry for her family. Once she decided on that, she skipped towards the grocery store. She shouldn’t feel sentimental. She had her dad and sister with her. She didn’t have time and reason to feel like that. 

It seemed like fate when her phone rang. Mia checked who it was and found an unknown number. She soon realized it was that man earlier. She tried remembering his face but soon gave up and searched his group. He did say that ‘Salty’ was their song so it wasn’t much trouble. She whispered ‘Ju Haknyeon’ to herself, trying to memorize his name. She also looked at Changmin’s profile, since he was with Haknyeon when she met the supposed same-age idol. Her manager never told her that they had idols living near the convenience store but she guessed it was a given. She was in Seoul, where idols were scattered all around. It was just that she usually generalized them as attractive people. She was aware of only a few idols, which she stanned, namely Seventeen and EXO. And her sister stanned BTS so she was forced to memorize the members of that group too.

Soon, the two exchanged texts with each other about meeting up, which Mia assumed to be Haknyeon asking her on a date. It was odd, to be honest, but Mia was aware that idols could date. She did work in a few restaurants where idols would frequent for blind dates and she hung around Han River to catch a few celebrity couples having their own alone time. But Mia had barred herself from going into the dating arena again. After the mess that was her last relationship, she didn’t want to get into dating again. But she guessed it wouldn’t hurt to get to know Haknyeon. He did seem like a nice guy and according to the numerous tweets about him, he was. 

It was around 8 PM when she finally arrived at her apartment complex. She was pleasantly surprised to see her sister at home. After greeting Hana, Mia asked why she was early.

“Our teacher had an emergency so he had to end the class early,” Hana said, biting at the end of her pen,” How about you? I thought you’ll be going home later.”

“I told you I’ll go home early tonight,” Mia almost pouted,” I think I’ll arrive home late tomorrow though. I have classes in the morning then two shifts, at different places.” 

“Aren’t you tired?” Hana asked. Mia shrugged before heading to the kitchen part of their apartment unit. It was a rather small unit, with the kitchen, dining room and living room rolled in one. The only rooms separate were the bathroom and two bedrooms. The Lee family wasn’t well-off but they had enough to eat each day and both daughters were on a scholarship, so the expenses were lightened. 

“Just focus on studying,” Mia mused,” Did dad say what time he’ll go home?” 

“Hmm,” Hana hummed, checking her phone,” He did say he has an 8 PM appointment with Mrs. Choi but she’s just downstairs, so I’m guessing he’ll be home after 30 minutes or so?” 

“Great,” Mia clasped her hands after she wore her apron,” I’ll be cooking for three then!” 

Mia’s routine was like that. She was the designated cook of the house. Hana did cook sometimes, but Mia always insisted that she cooked for their family. Aside from her family life, Mia focused on her schooling as a scholar and her multiple part time jobs. She was a hard worker but often sacrificed her sleep for reviewing and revising her notes. But she didn’t lead a boring life. She had friends in her university who would bother her to hang out.

And that was why she was in a little tteokbokki place near where she studied with her best friend, Lee Jaehee. 

“Yah, so who is this guy you tweeted about?” Jaehee asked. Mia rolled her eyes. Jaehee was protective of her, especially after her last break-up. But Mia wasn’t sure if she should spill the beans about Haknyeon. He was, after all, an idol. And Jaehee was a big fat K-pop fan. Her personal account on Twitter was basically her art account and stan account. Aside from that, she wasn’t simply a fan of one group. If Mia only stanned two groups or so, Jaehee almost stanned the whole female side of K-pop plus ASTRO. And she usually didn’t shut up about idols. Mia thought that it was possible for Jaehee to know who The Boyz were. Of course, she did. Mia almost forgot Jaehee recommended her the song. 

“Earth to Lee Mia?” Jaehee snapped her fingers,” So who’s the guy?” 

“Oh… A customer,” Mia timidly answered,” I actually didn’t get his name.” 

“Did he text you? If he texted you, it means you got his name,” Jaehee pushed for the information. Mia didn’t know how to answer that question. Was Haknyeon a common name in South Korea? It didn’t seem so. Ju Haknyeon was the only Haknyeon she knew! She decided to go with her gut and make up a name.

“Park Hyeon?” Mia tried to look like she was thinking. Jaehee narrowed her eyes. She was unsure if she should believe the bullshit she was seeing, but since she didn’t have evidence, she believed Mia. 

“So he was cute? I thought you were done with men?” Jaehee raised an eyebrow,” I mean, I don’t understand why people like men, except of course for our boy Cha Eunwoo. And I know, you’re going to say ‘here Hee goes again, talking about Eunwoo’ but he’s so hard to avoid if we talk about the standards people have for men. Anyway, I don’t understand the appeal men have.”

“Because you’re gay, Hee,” Mia reasoned,” You’re a lesbian specifically, so you won’t understand why I keep trying with men.” 

“I just…” Jaehee sighed,” Your last boyfriend sucked so bad, Mia. And your taste in men…”

“I know,” Mia frowned,” But maybe, I don’t know, this time would be different.”

“You say that every time, Mi,” Jaehee had a sarcastic tone to her voice,” But sure, I’ll trust you on this one. I always do. But if you come crying to me because you got your heart broken--” 

“You’ll still comfort me, won’t you?” Mia knew Jaehee wouldn’t drop her even though Mia had a bad track record with dating. Jaehee rolled her eyes before nodding.

“I wouldn’t leave you, except if Chungha said so, baby.” 


	2. Two

Mia could only guess why Haknyeon asked her out, out of the blue. They only talked once personally, which was the convenience store incident. Their messaging? It was casual. Nothing really special about that to call for a personal meeting, some would call a date. They didn’t even talk much before Haknyeon asked her out. But it wasn't a date, Mia was sure of that. Or was she? Haknyeon was an idol. A full pledged one. With songs and shows. Hell, he was even on that survival show Mnet had, before the whole mess happened. But Mia couldn’t avoid thinking that meeting up with someone whom she doesn’t even consider as a friend was a date. 

"Psst! Psst!"

Mia turned her head, catching a glimpse of a man in a hoodie. He was at the corner of the cafe with his back turned to her. But he faced his face towards her direction so she could recognize him. Mia quickly went to his table and sat across him. That's when she noticed two cups of, she guessed, hot chocolate, on the table, with two pieces of croissants in the center. 

"I thought it would be gentlemanly to treat you on our first date," Haknyeon said, which Mia, against her wishes, laughed at. Haknyeon rolled his eyes and laughed along with her. "Was it that cheesy?"

"Hell yeah, it is, " Mia didn't realize it at first but she used casual language with Haknyeon. The idol didn't realize it either but with the formal language not separating them, it was easier for them to talk to each other. 

"Was it really that bad?" Haknyeon asked again. Mia nodded, still laughing at the first thing he said to her. 

"What kind of guy goes all gentlemanly and all that kind of shit to a stranger he met just days ago? Jerks, that's who!" Mia continued laughing. Haknyeon understood what she meant and realized how bad it made him look. But hey, at least she was laughing. 

"I didn't expect that you were the type to cuss," Haknyeon noted. As an idol, Haknyeon had restrained himself from cussing. But even back in Jeju, his grandmother would get mad if she heard him, so he refrained from using foul language. Seeing Mia use it though, Haknyeon felt like she was treating him like a regular person. 

"I am! Just not in front of my dad or he'll kill me," Mia was able to calm herself down," Anyway, why'd you want us to meet? In a cafe nonetheless? This isn't some cult scouting to be part of your fandom, right?"

"It can be if you want it to," Haknyeon told her," But this is more of a curiosity thing. Have you read the links I sent you?"

"Do you mean your whole discography and your profiles?"

"Yes, important information."

"I skimmed but that was it. I did listen to a few of your songs," Mia shrugged," Why should I know about your group? I don't plan on supporting you."

"Wow, that hurt," Haknyeon dramatically clenched his chest, which Mia laughed at. 

"Drama king," she commented. Haknyeon paused then nodded a bit. 

"Hoping to get some roles, you know. But, what's more important is you getting to know The Boyz," Haknyeon firmly said, bringing out his phone and showing Mia pictures of the other members," Don't tell them I showed you these. I took this secretly."

"Your members look good," Mia whistled, well, attempted to whistle. 

"We pride ourselves in our looks and talent, Mia-ssi," Haknyeon used his MC voice," Anyway, name all the members in this picture. I think we're complete here."

"But that's twelve."

"Yeah, my point. Hyunjun had to leave us because of his injury but we're still twelve," Haknyeon explained," Whichever member you do not know, that would be Hyunjun."

"Okay," Mia scanned the photo. It was difficult to memorize how many people casually. But maybe it was kind of easy because they had different kinds of handsomeness? "Q, New, Jacob, Juyeon, Younghoon, Hyunjae... Kevin? Eric... You, Hyunjun? Sunwoo, Sangyeon..?"

"Good job!" Haknyeon clapped his hands. "Anyway, rather than a date, I just want to hang out with someone outside of show business. Thought you'd be perfect for the job."

"So I'm hired without applying?"

"You get me so well!" Haknyeon clapped his hands," And this is a crash course on The Boyz. Are you ready?"

"Haknyeo--"

"Yes, you are!" 

Mia could only laugh at how enthusiastic Haknyeon was with this situation. But she didn't complain. She liked Haknyeon's company so far. He was fun. And he was so giddy about introducing his group. 

"You already know our songs, right?" Haknyeon asked. Mia signalled with her hand that she had a so-so familiarity with them.

"We can do the songs later. First, the members. I'll go by age, if that's okay with you?" Haknyeon looked back to his phone before sliding it to her. Mia, in that situation, didn't have a choice but to nod, and nod she did.

"This is Sangyeon-hyung. He's our reliable leader and main vocalist. He's really funny but he can get serious if needed. And look at his nose," Haknyeon paused, which made Mia laugh. 

"Do you know that one episode where EXO guested in Knowing Brothers?" Mia asked. Haknyeon widened his eyes when he remembered. "Is that what you're trying to tell me, Haknyeon?"

Haknyeon covered his face. What was he going to answer her? How was he going to answer her? The question was a personal question. Sangyeon didn't deserve to be described in that way and Haknyeon didn't mean it that way. He literally meant that Sangyeon had a big nose that he found cute. 

"Let's change the topic," Haknyeon awkwardly smiled," Next member! Jacob-hyung. He's Canadian so he can speak English well. He's our lead vocalist and he helps around in taking care of the younger members."

"Including you?"

"How did you know I was one of the youngest?"

"Told you I skimmed through it," Mia grinned. Haknyeon felt pride welling up because she knew his place in the group. 

"Back to Jacob-hyung! He's a complete angel but I'm scared he might explode someday. You know what they say, the kindest people are the scariest when mad," Haknyeon continued. Mia nodded. She had her fair share of kind people getting mad. That was a rollercoaster. 

"Because he's from Canada, does that mean he doesn't see his family even on holidays?" Mia asked. 

Haknyeon frowned and nodded. That was one of the down sides of being an international member basically. At least Jacob had Eric and Kevin. Those three understood what the other felt about home. 

"Next member is Hyunjae-hyung. He's part of Bermuda."

"Bermuda? Like the triangle where airplanes and ships crash and/or disappear?"

"Yeah, but Bermuda in The Boyz means once you fall for them, Hyunjae-hyung, Younghoon-hyung and Juyeon-hyung, you can't get out. They all are really handsome, like a higher level of handsome, and they're charming in their own ways," Haknyeon explained. Mia was amused that Haknyeon was taking this crash course to The Boyz thing seriously. 

"Hyunjae-hyung is the lead dancer, lead vocalist, and as part of Bermuda, a visual. He's a chicken maniac and eats chicken everyday all day. He's really good at deboning too! Aside from that, he's sort of a scary hyung. He has that in-charge kind of aura?"

"He looks like a snappy person," Mia commented. 

"He's just an honest baby, to be honest," Haknyeon told her. He continued to rant about how sometimes, Jaehyun doesn't act his age and would be too honest. Haknyeon couldn't really complain because he was the same at the dorm too, that it sometimes led to misunderstandings between the members. 

"Next is.. Ahh, this handsome hyung," he showed her a picture of Younghoon. It seemed like he just took this the morning before he left to meet Mia. The picture was a selfie of both of them, eating ramyeon. 

"He is handsome but he looks cold?" Mia commented. 

"That's what you think," Haknyeon winked then continued to tell her how big of a softie Younghoon could be. He told her about how he softly smiles at people and how underrated his vocals were. Haknyeon even told her of the time Younghoon tried communicating with a dog they saw outside when they were filming for "Right Here."

"Woah, what does he look like when he smiles?" Mia asked. Haknyeon scrambled through his phone, scrolling through the other pictures he took which were basically his previous meals. He then realized that he didn't save such a picture and decided to go on Twitter and search for 'Younghoon smile'. Luckily, their fans loved every part of them so it wasn't difficult to find a picture of Younghoon's smile. He then showed Mia one of the tweets. 

"He looks... adorable! Like a soft plushie," she described Younghoon. Haknyeon was not sure how Younghoon would take that description but he guessed it was a compliment. Plushies are adorable. That was a fact. 

"Next member is Juyeon-hyung!" Haknyeon said when he took back his phone and searched for a picture of Juyeon. He knew Eric borrowed his phone once to take candid photos of their older members. And one of those members was Juyeon. It was a side profile but it was good enough for Haknyeon. 

"I'm guessing, part of Bermuda?" Mia asked. Of course, she thought Juyeon was handsome. Not her type by all means, if she was honest. She was about to say he looked like a fuck boy, the ones she saw around their campus, but she restrained herself. Haknyeon might get hurt with a comment like that. 

"Yes! You're getting it! " Haknyeon sounded excited. "He's the last member of Bermuda. Hyung's the main dancer. But he can also sing well! Just don't make him rap. He may look like a bad boy but hyung's really gullible and dumb sometimes."

"Dumb?"

"He fell from countless chairs. And just... It's more than clumsiness, you know?" Haknyeon found it hard to describe for someone who never met Juyeon. The older one was sometimes an airhead. But sometimes, he's a quick thinker. 

"Alright, I understand," Mia nodded. She had a friend like that. She always had to keep an eye on that friend or she would trip over nothing. And that friend also frequently forgot her textbooks so she had to borrow from Mia. It wasn't obvious that that friend was a scholar too, with all the clumsiness she had. 

"Next is Kevin-hyung," Haknyeon continued, showing a selfie Kevin took, using his phone. He had red hair in the picture but for all Haknyeon knew, Kevin had black hair at that moment. 

"He's cute," Mia mumbled under her breath. 

"Your type?" Haknyeon's eyes perked up," Hyung's a main vocalist and he can play the piano well. He also draws! You can check out our Twitter account for that. And he speaks English well because he grew up in Canada. I think he even went to college before becoming a trainee."

"He gave up a possible stable future for his dream huh," Mia relaxed her back on the chair. She could never imagine herself making that kind of decision. Though her major was something she can say she was passionate about, it had a clear outcome for her. It had an almost perfect chance of landing her a job. And that was what was important for her. 

"At least he reached it," Haknyeon said proudly," with The Boyz. We also use his designs for our clothes and albums and lots of other things so he's not restricted creatively!"

"That's nice for him," Mia clapped her hands twice," At least he has a release for his stress." 

As Mia listened to Haknyeon describing Kevin, she was hooked with him. But it was out of admiration. She was sure of that. It wasn't because he was cute. Nope. Not at all. Haknyeon kept on telling her about Kevin's memes, showing her how funny Kevin could be. All Mia had in her head was "stop" because she might grow a little crush on Kevin Moon. 

"Next is New-hyung," Mia was thankful Haknyeon moved on to another member," He's also a main vocalist."

"So you have three main vocals?" Mia asked," What's so ‘main’ about that if three people share a position?"

"It means they're that good! And we had 12, and now 11, active members so it's good for multiple people to hold the same position so one person won't be overworked," Haknyeon answered," We also have two main dancers. Juyeon-hyung and Q-hyung."

"Okay," Mia gestured to Haknyeon to continue. And he did. He told her about how sensitive Chanhee can get. How the other members loved bullying him. But at the same time, he also told her about how kind Chanhee was to them, how much he loved to spoil them, that Chanhee remembers the little things the members tell him. 

"Next is Q-hyung! He's the hyung I was with when I met you," Haknyeon reminded her. 

"Changmin-ssi, you mean?" 

Haknyeon nodded.

"Yeah, I do remember him. Guy with a long neck, right?" Mia knew it was useless to describe Changmin by his hair color. He was an idol after all. The first time Mia saw him, his hair was brown. It might be a different color when she sees him again. Even the photo Haknyeon had, Changmin had orange hair, like the fruit. 

"This is an old photo but that's okay, because you met hyung personally anyway. His stage name is Q. And before you ask, it's for The Boyz to have a good start, like start, cue!" Haknyeon snapped his fingers," Anyway, hyung is the main dancer, along with Juyeon-hyung, as I said. He can be a very scary person."

"Scary person how..? He looks pretty chill to me, " Mia questioned. Haknyeon shuddered before continuing to tell Mia about Changmin. Everyone knew Changmin loved horror. He even adored it! He could be chased by a ghost and the tables will turn that he'll chase the ghost. Aside from that, he also thought Annabelle was cute and would laugh whenever he was at a horror house. He also recounted the times when Changmin was sort-of violent towards the members, shaking Chanhee back and forth and pinching Sunwoo until he screamed. 

"But hyung's pretty cute most of the time. If you download V Live, you can see Q-hyung frequently. He loves talking to the fans. Hyung can also be pretty reliable with other things like if you have a problem, he'll make an effort to cheer you up," Haknyeon continued. Mia was amazed at how those two different sides were different but she knew how complex a person can be. It's just that Ji Changmin was pretty complex. She noted she should never mess around with him. 

"As long as he won't scare me, we're chill," Mia told Haknyeon. The latter shrugged. He's not sure if Mia could be rescued from Changmin's occasional terror. But he knew if he told Mia, she wouldn't believe him. Or if she did, Haknyeon would've scared her off with Changmin.

"Anyway," Haknyeon obviously wanted to shift the topic, and the next topic was him. "I'm the next member, by age. You know already that I'm a 99 liner, like you. I am also the lead dancer and I sing well, if I do say so myself."

"Oh?" Mia chuckled," Why not a sample of that vocal talent?" 

Haknyeon winked as he started singing Coffee by Urban Zakapa. Wow, Mia thought, he knew how to pick a suitable song to where they were. But they weren't drinking coffee. That was the funny part to it. And Mia could confess that Haknyeon had a good voice. So much so that she smiled when he finished. 

"How was that?" Haknyeon asked. Mia rolled her eyes. 

"Okay, I admit you are good," she sounded defeated. Haknyeon laughed. 

"It's because I am," he boasted. He then continued telling her other things about him, like the fact he loved to eat and he came from Jeju. He also told her about Hong Kong, that he grew up there before going back to South Korea. Mia thought Haknyeon seemed easy to talk to. They were already at the ninth member and she wasn't bored, even though Haknyeon was doing all the talking. He was charming. Maybe that's why he was a celebrity. 

"If you have a pig farm then that means you have stable income in your family. Why risk that future for a dream without uncertainty?" Mia asked. Haknyeon was surprised she'd ask a question like that to someone she talked briefly too. But that also meant she was listening to him and trying to understand him. It made him feel special in a way. 

"Because I want to perform. It's my passion to get on stage and sing and dance my heart out... The pig farm will always be in Jeju, waiting for me. But this ambition I have, this goal I want to achieve, I can only chase after this when I'm still young," he explained, a tinge of daydream in his voice, as if he was reminiscing his life in Jeju. Mia understood the feeling, even though she wasn't as sure as Haknyeon for her future. But she didn't hate her major. She just... felt like she could do something more to the world. 

"That's nice to hear, Haknyeon," Mia said, and Haknyeon saw the most sincere smile he had ever seen from her from the few minutes or hours he knew her. He wanted to see more of it. That was what he felt. And he hoped this friendship could get that kind of result. 

"Next member! Well, he's a former member," Haknyeon once again shuffled through his phone before handing it to her. Mia thought that the face looked familiar but she couldn't put her finger on it. Anyway, he looked attractive. Chic but of course, Haknyeon would tell her that that wasn't completely the case. 

"He's Hyunjun now but when he was part of The Boyz, we called him Hwall. He's our ultimate weapon," Haknyeon sounded sad," He got injured and it was serious enough for the doctor to forbid him from dancing. He was our lead dancer. And he's an amazing one! I swear by that. But we still keep in touch. I sometimes eat out with him, but without him with us like 24/7 feels very different."

"I'm sure he feels the same," Mia's heart sank when she saw Haknyeon drop his mood, even for a bit. "I'm assuming he's living a normal life now?"

"Oh, our little Junnie? Living a normal life?" Haknyeon scoffed. His mood picked up again. "He's a model now. And a great one at that! He's the most fashionable one out of all of us, so I'm sure it'll work out for him."

Haknyeon continued to tell Mia about Hyunjun, like how clingy he can be to Hyunjae or how sarcastic he can be against the older members. He also told her about how hard working Hyunjun can be, despite the injuries he had. He described how Hyunjun was a big baby, despite that cold exterior. He even did Hyunjun's signature archer aegyo. 

"I'm sure you missed your aim," Mia commented. Haknyeon puffed his cheeks. Mia was sure he heard him mutter 'Yeah, sure, I did,' but she chose not to mention it. She was far too amused with him after all. 

"Next is Sunwoo, second to the youngest!" Haknyeon moved on, "He's our main rapper. He even joined High School Rapper. Do you know that?"

"No, I told you, I don't watch TV," Mia reminded him. Haknyeon snapped his fingers. 

"Sunwoo'll kill me if I showed you... " Haknyeon's voice trailed off as he searched for Sunwoo's iconic rap. It looked like he didn't care if Sunwoo would kill him. It was posted online after all. Anyone can see anything online. 

After watching it, Mia gave a nod of approval. Sunwoo had good flow and a nice tone. His voice was good. He did look cocky but Mia always assumed that's how you should look like in hip hop or they'll eat you alive. 

"That's our rapper, Sunwoo, but Sunwoo as our member... He says he hates aegyo and yet, he volunteers to do it. And he may look tough there? But in reality, he's a big old scaredy cat. He gets scared so easily!" Haknyeon went on about Sunwoo's cute sides. And his kind of disgusting side because Sunwoo wasn't hygienic at all. Haknyeon described his clothes would sometimes pile up on his bed. "At least we have Eric," Haknyeon said with relief. 

"Who's Eric? The maknae?" Mia asked once the name showed up. Haknyeon nodded. He showed her a picture of Eric, like he did with the other members, and started introducing The Boyz's maknae. 

"That is Eric. He's the maknae, lead dancer and lead rapper of the group. He's an energy ball. If you can harness the energy of the sun, that's Eric, but he can get really quiet sometimes, especially when something's bothering him," Haknyeon started. He described Eric the best that he could. Eric was the dorm's class president because he was the cleanest of the bunch. Eric was born in South Korea but grew up in Los Angeles. 

When Haknyeon finished, Mia felt like she met all of the members. That was a lot of information to process, especially for a college girl who can't properly keep up with her classes. Haknyeon saw the confusion on her face and laughed at it. 

"Shocked?" Haknyeon asked. Mia nodded.

"Very, " she managed to say. 

"As my non-showbiz friend, or most suitable, my friend who doesn't even want to go into show business, I am willing to guide you into the world of my group, because they will be everything I'll rant to you about," Haknyeon declared. 

"Why not a showbiz friend? Someone who can relate to you?"

"I don't want that. I have lots of those, but most of my non-showbiz friends are in Jeju. I'd like to have some here in Seoul. I hope you won't reject me," he answered, pulling out those puppy eyes. Mia knew she had no choice but to accept it. 

"But if something smells fishy, I'll bail, okay?" Mia told him. 

"If something smells fishy, I'll eat it, so you don't have to worry," Haknyeon reassured her with a proud smile. 


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short update in between streams! hoping we bag the win in rtk for tbz! <3

"And where we were you from, Hak?"

Sangyeon asked once the younger member entered the practice room. Haknyeon was rarely late, especially that he was out that day. Sangyeon narrowed his eyes at him, staring at Haknyeon's sheepish smile. 

"I was.. with a friend, hyung," Haknyeon answered. He wasn't lying so Sangyeon would probably believe him. Sangyeon shrugged. 

"I'll let it pass this one time but please, avoid arriving late. We need to perfect the performance," he reminded the younger. Haknyeon grinned. 

"Of course we'll perfect it!"

  
  


Changmin was staring at himself in the mirror, contemplating on how to improve his facial expressions. He didn’t notice Haknyeon’s arrival, which was good for the latter. No one wanted to see Changmin going haywire on Haknyeon. God knows what might happen. Staring at him was Chanhee, who was wondering what the hell the dancer was doing. He kept changing his facial expressions every few seconds and muttering who-knows-what. But Chanhee was too lazy to go to him. He was, after all, lying down on the floor, from the opposite side of the room. 

"Get up!" Eric whined as he crouched down," We have to practice, hyung! Haknyeon-hyung's here so we can do more!"

"Eric-ah, I don't have energy," Chanhee told him. Eric grabbed Chanhee's wrists and started pulling him around the practice room. His arms did hurt, but Chanhee was having fun with the ride... not until Sunwoo decided to add his heavy self to the train. 

"Yah! I'm being pulled apart!" Chanhee screamed, scrambling to make Eric let him go. That's when the other members noticed the trio and proceeded to laugh at Chanhee's misery. Jaehyun even decided to join the fun and hold onto one of Chanhee's legs and Juyeon helped Eric in pulling him. 

That was a normal day in the practice room of The Boyz. Chanhee screaming, Changmin thinking of their performance, Sangyeon reprimanding late-comers, and the others generally bullying Chanhee. 

After hours and hours of practice, led by the perfectionist Changmin, The Boyz were finally heading home. Haknyeon opened up his phone to update Mia on what he was doing. If he did this, maybe he'll get more information from her too. He texted her about their practice for this special stage on a music show but he won't spoil which show. That would ruin the surprise. 

"Who're you texting?" Jaehyun peered over his shoulder. 

"My girlfriend?" Haknyeon joked. Jaehyun laughed. 

"As if you have time to have one!" The older commented but then he paused for a moment," Is that why you were late?" 

Haknyeon rolled his eyes. 

"I don't have a girlfriend, hyung. Wish I had one though. My friends keep flooding my feed with couple pictures," Haknyeon complained. 

"But in our job, that's a bit tricky," Jaehyun told him. Haknyeon continued whining, promising he'd keep it as a good secret. Jaehyun soon forgot about asking about who Haknyeon was texting with, because of how whiny Haknyeon was with the whole thing. 

"Girlfriends might not be all that great, my friend," Kevin butted into the conversation," Why not a boyfriend? Open to that? Dudes understand each other more."

"I won't put an ultimatum but I think I'm straight, hyung, " Haknyeon told him, " I think I'm more sure of that? What about you, hyung?"

"I'm open to whatever fate throws at me," Kevin said, opening his arms wide, wide enough to hit his seatmate, Younghoon. Younghoon didn't mind though. He was absorbed in looking at his dog's, Bori, pictures. 

"And you, Hyunjae-hyung?" Haknyeon inquired. 

"I'm thinking I'm... Hmmm," Jaehyun thought for a moment," You know, never thought of that. I do find women attractive but I've also found men to be the same... But sexual attraction? Not sure."

"Oh no, he's having a sexual identity crisis!" Kevin dramatically said, putting his hands on his mouth. Jaehyun rolled his eyes. 

"I have all my life to figure out so that's okay," Jaehyun said," You do too, Hak. You don't need to box yourself in a heterosexual box."

"Mhm, that's true," Kevin nodded," Whatever you are, we'll still love you."

"Aww, that's sweet and awfully cheesy, hyung," Haknyeon smiled," It's nice to have you, the whole team, with me."

"Nice to have you too, Hak," Jaehyun ruffled his hair. 

  
  


As soon as they arrived at their dorm, Chanhee decided to play some games, and by games, the type you'll have to think hard like the Impossible Quiz game. He wanted some mental stimulation, even after that physical work out they just did with the choreography. Eric snuggled right beside him, casually commenting on how to solve the problem while playing Tekken on his phone. 

Jacob, on the other hand, stayed on his bed while playing on his guitar. He had a tune in his head that he wanted to get out. It was better to write it down and make it into a full song. Sangyeon was in the same room, venting out his concerns at Jaehyun, who seemed to give serious advice to him. 

Kevin was in the kitchen, along with Juyeon, preparing their dinner. Of course, some members were on a diet, but with the difficulty of the choreography, they deserved something delicious to eat. Kevin had decided to make spaghetti and Juyeon decided to fry some hotdogs. A little bit of unhealthy food was alright, right? 

The remaining four members were in the living room. They decided to watch a movie, a foreign one. They were lucky that it had subtitles. Changmin had his head on Sunwoo's lap and his feet on Younghoon's. Haknyeon was on the floor, eating a bag of seaweed he found in their kitchen. They seemed immersed in the movie, which was unexpectedly A Dog's Journey. Changmin noticed that Haknyeon kept checking his phone and texting someone. He thought it was suspicious at first but decided to leave it. Maybe it was one of his sisters. 

They knew they should be sleeping. It was midnight. If they stayed up more, their faces would get bloated. But the adrenaline from the practice was still there. They needed to relax in a different way. As soon as Kevin's and Juyeon's dishes were finished, they tried giving each member a bite of them. Kevin's spaghetti was a hit. Juyeon's hotdogs? Sunwoo said they were a bit burnt, a comment that earned a glare from the hotdogs' cook. 

"Hyung, who's Mimi?" Sunwoo asked, while he was still chewing the hotdog Juyeon gave him," Mimi from Oh My Girl?"

"It's impossible for Haknyeon to get her number," Younghoon commented. Sunwoo thought about it and yeah, even with Inkigayo sandwiches, Haknyeon could never get Mimi's number. 

"Just a friend I met a few days back," Haknyeon answered. Changmin had his suspicions that it was Mia but he didn't say them out loud because the other members would bombard Haknyeon with questions. He knew it wasn't the right time to be honest about it. 

"Hak, do you want to play a round of PUBG?" Changmin offered, just to change the subject. 

"Did someone say PUBG?" Chanhee entered the living room, with his hair kind of messy. 

"Let's play!" Haknyeon clapped his hands. It was another night of gaming for The Boyz. And that meant no sleep and noise, something Sangyeon would've prevented if he knew what was happening inside the living room. 

On the other line of the conversation, Mia was answering Haknyeon's texts while she was walking home from the karaoke bar she worked at. Was she afraid of walking alone at night? Hell no, she may not be a black belter but she studied up her self defense techniques and she had a thick coat on. It wasn't really obvious that it was a female under those layers. 

Haknyeon asked her where she was and what she was doing. Of course, she told him the truth. She was walking home. Haknyeon asked her if she had anyone with her. She told him none. He then told her to be careful, there are a lot of creeps out there. She reassured him. She did this for about two years already. She got used to this kind of life. 

As soon as she got home, the house was quiet. By house, she meant their two room apartment. Mia wasn't exactly poor, if she evaluated herself, but she wasn't rich. One, her family didn't have enough money to send her to college, so she went for a scholarship. Two, only her dad worked. She didn't like thinking about her mom. Three, she had a younger sister who was still in middle school. Sure, she was smart, but the school she went to didn't have a scholarship that included book allowance, so they had to spend there. 

Mia entered the room to find her younger sister on the bed. Yes, her family invested in beds. That was important for her father who valued sleep over everything. After Mia checked if her sister was asleep, she decided to start doing her own homework, putting down her things on the table they had in the corner of their room. 

She opened her phone for a moment and told Haknyeon that she was home. She then shut her phone off and hid it in the drawer. She didn't need to check that for now. What she needed was to focus on her lessons. She had a big test the next day and graded recitations. Man, being a college student was tough.


	4. Four

It had been a week since Haknyeon met Mia. He thought it was a great idea to open up to the members about her. She wasn't at all suspicious. Her tweets weren't crazy. She might be more normal than he guessed she would be, except with her out-of-the-world cravings and her addiction to random information. He had been thinking about slowly inserting her into their conversations like 'I have a friend like that!' before putting a name to that friend. He was nervous about it, of course, so he decided to ask Changmin about it, since he knew who Mia was.

"Why are you making it out like the hyungs are strict on us?" Changmin said, before turning his head to Haknyeon. He was picking out which glasses he was going to wear that day, considering that he planned to start a V live after practice. 

"They could be," Haknyeon slightly whined," I'm not sure how Sangyeon-hyung and Jaehyun-hyung will react to me having a female friend outside of, well, Cre.ker or my school."

"You're not dating her right?" Changmin asked. Haknyeon shook his head. "Then you're pretty much safe. Just don't get caught by the fans and they wouldn't care," he continued, picking up a pair of glasses with a thin round metal frame. 

"Are you sure?" Haknyeon asked. 

"100%," Changmin answered, wearing his glasses," Eric hangs out with girls all the time. We never had an issue with it."

"Alright," Haknyeon looked determined," I'll try to talk to the other members about her."

"You sound like you plan to date her though," Changmin shot a look," Be careful. It'll be hard to clean up a mess like that."

"I'll be careful," Haknyeon stood up," Thanks, hyung."

After Haknyeon left, Changmin thought about why the younger member was nervous about sharing who Mia was. Of course, the older members, heck, every member, would tease him about hanging out with someone he could be attracted to. And Mia was pretty. She wasn't the idol-type of pretty, but she had her charm, especially seeing her at work.

Haknyeon headed to his room. Compared to Changmin, the boy was ready to leave. He didn't really need to prepare much and he wasn't planning to go on a V live. He rarely did, if he was honest. When he opened the door, he was surprised to find Sangyeon in the room. But it shouldn't be a surprise. Jaehyun, his roommate, was an emotional anchor to the group, and Sangyeon trusted him the most when it came to problems he encountered as the leader. 

He greeted the older members before heading to his bed, deciding to text Mia in order to distract himself. 

"Hak," Jaehyun called his attention. Haknyeon slightly lifted his head with a small "Hmm?" The older member asked why he seemed to be more absorbed with his phone recently. It was normal, to be honest, for Haknyeon to be on his phone, but Jaehyun noticed it was more than usual. And the fact that his phone sometimes rang back, as if someone was replying to him, Jaehyun knew something was up. 

"I made a friend," Haknyeon said," And because we're at the getting to know each other stage of our friendship... " 

"Okay," Jaehyun shrugged before turning his attention back to Sangyeon, who was listening to their conversation. 

"Remember we're idols, Hak. Take care of your image," the leader reminded him. Haknyeon nodded, turning to his side. "Especially if that's a girl. Dating rumors can be a pain in the ass," Sangyeon added. 

"I just have to make sure no one finds me with her," Haknyeon mused. Jaehyun raised an eyebrow. 

"Her? And who is this and how did you meet her?" he asked. Haknyeon thought there was no use to lying so he told the whole truth. Mia was a girl he met in the convenience store and they sort of clicked when they met again. Though, at that point, Haknyeon wasn't sure what their intentions for each other were. He wasn't sure if he wanted to pursue dating her meanwhile she seemed like she didn't want anything serious. Especially with how their "date" went along, it was obvious that they wouldn't date each other and Haknyeon should treat her as the non-showbiz friend. 

"She gave you her number..." Jaehyun looked up," That's some Inkigayo level of picking up."

"The Inkigayo sandwich is real?" Haknyeon widened his eyes. Jaehyun shared that he got some before but he didn't say whose numbers were in them. He just reassured Sangyeon and Haknyeon that he didn't pursue any of the people who had an interest in him since he wanted to focus on his career. 

"This group is full of workaholics!" Haknyeon said as he dropped his phone beside him," You should try casually dating someone. The agency's quite loose on us now."

"Hak, we're the only group it manages," Sangyeon said slowly, as if treating Haknyeon as a child," Cre.ker uses most of its resources on us."

"Geez, if they did, Eric wouldn't be out drinking with his friends," Haknyeon whistled," And what resources? Our company's not well-off. We have to be honest with that. It's a running joke for our fans at this point."

"That hurts but it is true," Jaehyun sided with Haknyeon for once," Well, our job is not to get caught. Remember that. Okay, Hak?"

Haknyeon raised his hand with an okay gesture before picking his phone up again. He was relieved that two of the older members were okay with his friendship with Mia. The younger members plus Changmin were already aware of who she was. He knew that squeezing her into daily conversations would be easy at that point, especially that they were friends and he would probably ask her to eat out with him. 

While Haknyeon was texting on his bed, Mia was on her shift for that day. She was at a 24-hour chicken delivery service. It was her second job for the day. In the afternoon, she was at a clothing boutique. Those were two completely different jobs but she managed them. The bosses were considerate of her situation anyway. They knew that she was a university student struggling with bills. And she was a hard worker. Never missed a shift. Never late. 

"Please deliver this," she handed her coworker the boxes of chicken. The coworker nodded and went out, leaving Mia with her boss. 

"You've been smiling at your phone lately, Miss Mia," her boss pointed out," Got a boyfriend?"

Mia rolled her eyes before pulling out her phone. Of course, Haknyeon was a boy friend but she was sure nothing could shrink the space in between those words. It was refreshing to have a male friend close to her. She was friends with another scholar's brother but there was always this awkwardness between them because they were of different footing. Plus Mia studied in a women's university. So receiving texts from Haknyeon was pretty new to her. 

"Dating isn't for me, boss," Mia glanced at her boss before replying to Haknyeon," Waiting for the right person though."

"The right person might be waiting for you too," her boss pointed out," Don't waste your time on waiting. Make the first move. Women can be presidents now. Hence, maybe you should make the first step."

"Thank you but," Mia sighed," Done with that. Men can be such disappointments."

"Oh god, I wouldn't know," her boss laughed," My husband is an amazing person."

"My ex isn't," Mia shook her head," Will never amount to anything great too."

"Not all men are like your ex, Mia. Be more open," her boss held Mia's shoulder," I'm sure there's a person out there waiting for you."

"Then they'll wait a long time," Mia slid her phone back to her apron's pocket," Because I don't plan on meeting them soon." Her boss was about to say something but the restaurant's phone rang and she knew that meant Mia closing herself off from the topic to concentrate on her job. 

As soon as Mia finished her shift, she received a call from one of her friends. It was Jaehee's number but when she answered it, it was from a different voice. 

"Byul," Mia said once she recognized the voice," Why is Hee's phone with you?"

"Ahh," Byul sounded panicky," She went and drank... Overdrank if I was honest with you, Mia. I'm so sorry."

Mia laughed. Jaehee could control herself well in front of alcohol except if her pride was provoked. That was why she was fun to drink with. But at the same time, she can be quite the handful. 

"Where are you?" She asked. Byul told her about this small pub in Itaewon. "Text me the address. I'll come and get her," Mia reassured her friend. 

Once the call was over, Mia immediately went to the nearest bus station. She knew it was only time before Jaehee would get into her sleepy state. She had to go there before she did or it would be more difficult to bring her to her dorm. She was lucky enough that she managed to get the last ride for the bus. She knew Jaehee had enough money for a taxi so she decided in her mind what she would do. 

She was texting Haknyeon about the whole situation, but not in detail. She didn't want this sort of stranger to know everything about her after all and Jaehee was one of those very things. She could imagine Haknyeon laughing at her situation but he told her about the time that one of his members got drunk in their dorm. It wasn't a pretty mess trying to get Juyeon off from each member. Imagining an idol in that state, Mia found it funny, especially that Haknyeon told her before that Juyeon was a serious person. 

Once Mia arrived at the pub, she saw Jaehee pointing her finger at a stranger. 

"I told you, don't come near my dear starlight," she said. Mia rolled her eyes before approaching the situation. She deescalated the situation successfully, using her waitress voice at both of them. The stranger soon left them alone and Mia faced Jaehee who hugged her friend tightly. 

"Mi amiga! Nice to see you," Jaehee almost squeezed Mia to death. While in Jaehee's embrace, she shot a look at Byul, who was sitting down behind Jaehee. Byul had to explain how Jaehee got into that mess and why they didn't have the older people in their friend circle with them, aka Sena and Taeyang. Sena was the oldest person in their main friend group which consisted of only her, Mia, Jaehee and Byul. She was the only person in the higher year. Sena usually took care of Jaehee when she was drunk since they lived near to each other. Taeyang was Byu’s older brother who studied in another university. He sometimes hung out with them when he had time, especially when it came to drinking. And because Taeyang was a man, he could help carry Jaehee when she got sleepy. 

"Good luck to your roommate, Hee," Mia whispered, pushing Jaehee away. She smelled like alcohol. Mia did drink and sometimes got drunk, but she disliked the smell of alcohol. 

"Are we gonna go home now, Mi?" Jaehee asked," Will we bring baby Byul with us?" Mia glanced at Byul. 

"Oppa's waiting for me already so I have to go home," Byul said," He already made excuses to our parents already."

Mia remembered that it was the middle of the week. God, Jaehee didn't know how to choose a day for drinking either. After waving goodbye to Byul, she dragged Jaehee to a shortcut where they could call a taxi. Hopefully, they could get one. If not, Mia was thinking about leaving Jaehee to sleep on the streets. 

Lucky for them, a taxi stopped in front of them. She figured she could stay over Jaehee's to take care of her so she decided to inform her sister about the situation. She sent her a quick message and told her sister to tell their dad about it too. Her dad would be so worried if he didn't find her in the apartment. 

When Mia got into Jaehee's dorm, the place was empty. She dropped Jaehee to the sofa and looked around. On the refrigerator, she saw a note from Jaehee's roommate: "I'm staying over at my boyfriend's place." Mia groaned. It seemed like she was alone in her battle with drunk Jaehee. 

After getting a glass of water, Mia sat on the sofa. 

"Hee? Are you awake?" she asked. Apparently, Jaehee was out cold. Maybe that was a good thing. Mia didn't have to deal with her ranting on and on about who-knows-what and who-knows-who. She contemplated texting Haknyeon more about her situation. After all, they still regularly texted each other. She thought that nothing bad would happen if she told him about the Jaehee situation. And so she did. 

She was surprised to find Haknyeon calling her after a few messages between them. 

"So where's Jaehee-ssi's dorm?" Haknyeon asked after they greeted each other. 

"Near Itaewon," Mia answered," She loves the nightlife so yeah, her parents let her stay here for college."

"Her parents seem to be cool people," Haknyeon pointed out," How did you two meet by the way? If she stays in a dorm, it means she's not from Seoul right?"

"We both grew up in Busan," Mia shared," My dad just decided when I was nearing college that maybe it's a good idea to move to Seoul."

"How come I don't hear any Busan dialect from you?" 

"My mom made sure I can control that part of me. She didn't want people to make fun of me when we go to Seoul."

"So you regularly went to Seoul when you were younger?"

"My mom's parents live in Seoul..." Mia's voice trailed off," Can we not talk about it, Hak?"

"Sure. If it makes you uncomfortable, we can talk about other things," Haknyeon sounded surprised but he knew he shouldn't ask more. It seemed like a touchy subject. 

"Where are you by the way? I'm hearing distant screams?" Mia asked. 

"Dorm," he timidly answered," On my bed. And the screams are just Changmin-hyung having fun."

"Uhh," Mia sounded confused," But they don't sound like his screams."

"Exactly," Haknyeon laughed," They're Chanhee-hyung's and Eric's screams. Hoonie-hyung and Juyeon-hyung were lucky to escape. But those first two have to pass by Changmin-hyung's room before getting to theirs."

"What is happening?"

"I don't know but when Changmin-hyung is on a rampage like that, I'd rather not know."

"That sounds like chaos," Mia commented. She heard Haknyeon's laughter from the other side. 

"It's entropy," Haknyeon corrected," It's just how we work here. We're eleven men living in one place. Of course it'll be chaotic."

"You've got a point there," Mia nodded, glancing at the sleeping figure of Jaehee," Do idols get drunk?"

"We make sure we don't but when we do, someone has to clean up after us," Haknyeon answered," Usually, we ask permission from our managers if we'll go out late. That means two things: meeting up with friends or dating. But if we drink at our dorm, it's okay not to ask permission."

"Then do you?"

"I'm a 22 year old man, of course I do! Everyone's in their 20s already so our manager agreed to let us have beer and soju in the fridge," Mia could imagine Haknyeon smiling as he said that. 

The two of them continued conversing until Jaehyun told Haknyeon to sleep. They had rehearsals the next day and he couldn't afford Haknyeon to be tired during it, especially after kind of getting on Changmin's nerves earlier. 

"I'll talk to you later then? Will you go home tonight?" Haknyeon asked. 

"I'll stay here. Hee's clothes fit me so... " Mia smiled to herself," And we can talk later if you aren't that busy. I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."

The two of them bid their goodbyes before hanging up. Mia glanced at drunk Jaehee and sighed. Haknyeon's cheers did give her energy but seeing Jaehee occupying the whole sofa and her arms dangling made her feel tired. 

"Hee," was all she could say before she tried carrying her again and bringing her to her bed. She muttered something about borrowing her hygiene things since she didn't bring anything but extra underwear. Yes, Mia was the type to bring extra underwear in case she had her period. She was relieved she did or else, she would feel dirty going to school in the same underwear. 

After removing Jaehee's make-up with wipes she found in the bathroom, Mia started her own night time routine. She washed her face, brushed her teeth and drank some water. She relaxed on the sofa, scrolling through her phone. She received a text from her sister. Oh right, she didn't tell her family about staying at Jaehee's place. She told her sister to cook the instant noodles in their cabinet if she was too lazy to cook. Hana was pretty cool with it. Mia wasn't worried about Hana alone at their apartment. She already oriented Hana about what she needed to do and her neighbors were her dad's friends so Hana had back-up if she needed. 

She scrolled through Haknyeon's twitter account when she couldn't sleep. She was curious about what an idol would tweet about but he sounded like a normal young adult. He whined about his friends. He tweeted about his meals. He watched Ghibli films. Mia thought Haknyeon would change how she viewed idols. And maybe, that wasn't such a bad thing. 

"Ahh, he even has his own pig?" Mia laughed. She found Haknyeon cute in his own weird way. Maybe that was why he was popular? She didn't know how popular Haknyeon was with Deobis, other than that they apparently found his butt attractive. Seeing it in person, yeah, Mia could agree with that. She then wondered about Changmin, the person Haknyeon was with when she first met him. According to Haknyeon's tweets, Changmin was someone scary to mess with. According to the fans, he was a king of duality, whatever that meant. 

Instead of reviewing for her tests the next day, she decided to binge-watch their videos. She was already familiar with their music videos. Okay, she watched them around twice or thrice each. She thought that watching their variety shows could help. She saw a tweet compiling the shows they were on and she started with The100. Slowly, Mia saw the charm of each member and she started to pick favorites: Kevin, Chanhee and Eric. 

'Huh, maybe stanning another big group won't be such a bad thing. '


	5. Five

Days turned into weeks then into months. Haknyeon and Mia's friendship was solid as ever. Though Haknyeon was very nosy with how Mia's life was, Mia loved his company. The same went for Haknyeon. Though Mia threw a few personal punches at Haknyeon, he liked her honesty. It reminded him of the friends he had in Jeju. 

And that day was the usual for them. It was a Saturday. Saturday meant Haknyeon could go out. It also meant that Mia didn't have any classes but she did have work in the evening. That also meant HakMi could meet and try out new food together around the hidden streets of Seoul. It was a weekly thing. Sometimes, it was not. It always depended on both of their schedules. Haknyeon juggled university life and idol life. Mia had her own studies and other part time jobs to balance. That's why they loved spending time with each other. Both of them understood the stresses that came with their lives. 

"I'm here," Mia said, talking with Haknyeon on the phone," Where are you?"

"Heading there. I decided to take the bus," Haknyeon answered her, "Did you check the reviews of the place I sent you?"

"They have cool donuts! I'm excited to try them," Mia mused," How did you find it anyway?"

"A fan recommended it on our fancafe," Haknyeon was glad she liked the place he picked," I searched for where it was and found out it was pretty secluded so it has a homey feeling."

"Secluded enough for me to expose myself as a girl?" Mia asked. Haknyeon paused for a bit. 

"Not on Saturdays, maybe," Haknyeon answered," But maybe on Wednesdays? Wednesday is a pretty awkward day."

"Just stuck in the middle, hmm," Mia's eyes wandered and found Haknyeon approaching her. She hung up the call and waved at him. 

"So you hid your hair like that, huh," Haknyeon said, pointing at Mia's beanie. 

"I should just cut my hair short," Mia said as she fixed her beanie," Maybe that will make this easier."

"No, no, no," Haknyeon shook his head," I like your hair. It isn't that long nor short. Just... Mia length."

"You're complimenting me? That's new," Mia laughed. 

"Don't get used to it," Haknyeon stuck out his tongue before he started leading the way. The two of them talked about how their lives were for the past couple of days. Haknyeon told her about their upcoming activities, that they already filmed a lot of things for the fans and they had a big project coming up. Meanwhile, Mia told him about her classes, how her Statistics professor made everything more confusing for her. 

"How's Changmin-ssi by the way?" Mia asked. Haknyeon raised an eyebrow. "If you're thinking that I'm asking about him because I like him, you are totally wrong, Ju Haknyeon. It's because I've met him before."

"Sure, and I'm on a diet," Haknyeon laughed," Hyung's been busier than ever because he's having a hand into the choreography more. And when our performance director isn't in our training sessions, hyung picks up the role. Of course Juyeon-hyung helps him but he's been taking the lead most of the time."

"Ah, that must be so stressful. But rewarding in the end."

"And the members are really cooperative so it lightens Q-hyung's burden," Haknyeon said, swinging his arms back and forth," Even at home, he practices. And it doesn't help that his music's so loud!"

"Can't he wear headphones?" 

"He does... That's why it's so annoying," Haknyeon slightly ranted," The walls in our dorm are so, so, so thin that I can hear whatever the other people are talking about in their rooms if they use their normal speaking voice."

"You are living with, what, ten men? Guess each person has their own quirks," Mia commented," I just realized that I only know your members by their pictures and their names... But like, hearing you say all of this to me, it's like I know them like my classmates."

"Do I tell you that much?" Haknyeon pretended to be shocked. Mia rolled her eyes. "But if you want to meet them, I think they're cool with that."

"Maybe after my payday then? So I can bring you food," Mia asked," So I can match the faces and the information you give me about them."

"So you can match Eric's face and his specific way of folding his underwear?" Haknyeon blurted out. Mia couldn't stop herself from laughing. 

"Yes, maybe he can teach me some things."

As soon as the pair arrived at the donut place, they spotted a table at the corner which was sort of hidden. It was behind a neon sign where it read the place's name: Crazy Donuts. Of course, they chose that seat. Mia immediately removed her beanie. 

"This is a pretty secluded place, sort of like where they make illegal deals?" she commented as she lowered her mask. "I think you can invite your group members here."

"I think Hoonie-hyung would like it here," Haknyeon agreed," And maybe Chanhee-hyung too?"

"Anyway, I should order. You've gone through their menu online, right?" Mia asked. Haknyeon nodded before telling her what he wanted. After Haknyeon gave her his payment, she immediately went to the counter to order. 

That's when Haknyeon's phone rang. It was Sunwoo. Of course, he answered it. 

"Where are you, hyung?" The younger asked before Haknyeon could say hello. 

"Why? Getting bored at home?" Haknyeon countered his question with another question. Of course, Haknyeon didn't have to hide Mia from Sunwoo. He knew the whole group knew of Mia already, just not how frequent they met up. But Mia might not be comfortable with Sunwoo yet. She might need time to prepare herself for Sunwoo's personality. Haknyeon knew he needed to prepare himself sometimes for the younger's shenanigans. 

"Yeah, Changmin-hyung's watching a horror movie right now so I can't bother him. New-hyung and Younghoon-hyung went out to buy coffee. Eric's out with his other friends. Sangyeon-hyung took Kevin-hyung and Jacob-hyung out to the museum. The other hyungs are asleep," Sunwoo listed the other members, making sure Haknyeon wouldn't ask for them. 

"So you're asking me to let you hang out with me?" 

"You should be honored, hyung. I mean, I am Kim Sunwoo."

"But what if I say no?"

"Then I'm guessing you're with that Mia person?" 

Sunwoo nailed it. And Haknyeon didn't want to make it obvious that he did but at the same time, Haknyeon's lying skills might be next to Kevin's. Utterly bad. 

"So what if I am?" Haknyeon asked. Sunwoo was quiet for a little while before he spoke. 

"Then I want to meet her. I'm really curious about her," he answered. 

"Too bad, today's reserved for me only so," Haknyeon hung up before Mia had him in her field of vision. Mia was not the type to ask Haknyeon who it was if she caught him, but Haknyeon was the type to automatically tell her who he was talking with. 

Mia, as someone who worked in the service industry, neatly placed their orders on their table, as if she worked at that place. On Haknyeon's side, he had a large-sized mango milkshake and two donuts, one chocolate and one red bean flavored. On Mia's side, she had a medium-sized Sprite and a cookies and cream donut. She even settled the straws down the way she did in her part time job. 

"Still working at that chicken place?" Haknyeon asked as she sat down. 

"Mhm," she answered, sipping her Sprite," Why?"

"Hyunjae-hyung loves the chicken there. It would be nice if you brought some," he told her. 

"I know how to cook it from scratch so if he wants it fresh, I can do it at your place," she said. Haknyeon's eyes suddenly gleamed.

"You can cook?" 

"I think I've told you before that I cook at my place? And that I sometimes step in for cooks in the places I work in?"

"I am such a bad listener sometimes."

"And an amazing talker too," Mia added," Maybe that's why you haven't figured out where I study... And what I study."

"I'll guess it someday, Lee Mia! I swear," Haknyeon declared. Mia could only chuckle at his childish response. He really did have more youth in him than Mia had. Maybe it was because he was an idol? 

"Who knows? Maybe one of your other members will guess it before you," Mia mused. Haknyeon glared at her. 

"Okay then! What and where do I study then if you're smart?"

"I don't recall saying that I was," Mia laughed at Haknyeon's annoyed expression. He was getting impatient. She was sure of that. "But I'll let you have the answer to that yourself. I mean it wouldn't change a thing between us."

"You will never let me be satisfied, won't you?" 

“Oh, by the way, Sunwoo called,” Haknyeon shared,” He wants to hang out with us.” 

“Mhm,” Mia fiddled with her phone,” You gave him your permission?” 

“Of course not! I already see him everyday,” he crossed his arms,” I want to keep Mimi all to me-me.” 

The pair spent most of their time together on that day together, visiting different food places. It was like magic, how the two of them clicked. The two of them knew they'd be together in the long haul. And it wasn't for romantic purposes. It was as if they found a friend in each other that they honestly needed. A break from the lives they lead daily. 

But of course, the friendly date had to end. Haknyeon had singing lessons to attend to. Mia had her part time job at the karaoke place. Though they hated being separated again, they had no choice. Their friendship was appealing because they were from different worlds. And that was what made it difficult too. 

"Remember to text me when you go home, okay? Be safe," Haknyeon reminded her. Mia smiled at him. 

"Thanks for today, Hak. Hoping we'd see each other again soon."

Changmin snuck out of the dorm alone to walk around the Han River. He was sure no one could recognize him at 2 in the morning anyway. He liked the peace and quiet of the place, away from the noisy bustling of the city. 

"Oh? Changmin-ssi?"

Changmin almost jumped into the river as a way to hide himself. When he turned around, he was relieved to find Mia in her casual clothing. 

"What are you doing out this late?" she asked. 

"I should ask that to you. Don't you have classes later?"

"I had a late night shift at the karaoke bar. So yeah, I'll be going to class later, lacking sleep, the usual college girl thing to do."

"Oh yeah, you never mentioned where you studied... What you studied," Changmin's voice trailed off. Mia chuckled. 

"It's odd that Haknyeon never mentioned any of my classes to you then. I often message him about my day, more of he forces me to tell him."

"I didn't know you regularly talked to him."

"We sometimes eat out. He's such a pig," Mia laughed. Changmin thought her laugh sounded adorable. "It's difficult to hide him though. Luckily, I love wearing loose fitting clothes so people may mistake me as his short guy friend rather than a female hanging out with The Boyz JuHaknyeon."

"You two sound close," Changmin looked up," Well you are of the same age. The gap's smaller because of that."

"Yeah, " Mia nodded, " I finally have someone with an irregular sleeping pattern to hang out with me. My friends are usually asleep or busy when I'm available."

Mia's friends, huh. Changmin never really imagined Mia as a whole college student, with friends and clubs and everything. But it was possible. He wondered if Mia dressed up for class or if she cared about her appearance there. Was she popular? Was she an honor student? Changmin was suddenly curious about his companion.

"Do you know my group well now?" Changmin asked. 

"Haknyeon forced me to memorize everyone and everything! Even your real names and birthdays. He even lent me copies of your album. He acts like he's trying to convert me to your religion," Mia laughed and Changmin did too. That does sound like Haknyeon, in its adorable and weird way. 

"So you know I'm known as-"

"Start, Q! " Mia joyfully said, grinning proudly. 

"Yeah, you're right," Changmin smiled at her," But since you know all about us, why do you keep yourself a mystery?"

"You're celebrities. It's expected that the public knows about you. But me? I like privacy. But if you're curious, I can answer three questions, to be fair."

"You'll answer any question? "

"Try me."

"What and where do you study?"

"That's considered two questions you know."

"Yes, I know."

"In a college in Wolgok-dong.. and I am under the department of Social Sciences."

"You can't be more specific?"

"Better find clues with Haknyeon's help if you want more. So, your third question?"

"Have you ever dated someone?"

Mia was surprised with this sort of question coming from Changmin. Her lips formed a thin line as she looked up to the sky.

"Let's say yeah, but it was a long time ago. Since I started college, I've been too busy to date. How about you? Idols allowed to date?"

"We can choose to date secretly. I mean, big groups like Super Junior do it."

"Then do you?"

"Nah, I'd rather use that time to practice and train."

"Such a workaholic," Mia commented, chuckling," But I shouldn't be the one judging you. I'm one too."

"Then we're a pair of workaholics, strolling down Han River," Changmin laughed," Getting some rare rest time."

"At 2 in the morning," she added. "Well, dating is for people who are ready to fall in love."

"That's a romantic view of things. I didn't expect you to think that way."

"Well, I do. That's why I think dating isn't for me now."

Changmin didn't know why it kind of hurt him to hear her say that, but at the same time, at least he knew she was single. 

"Don't you feel like we have some kind of distance between us?" Changmin asked. Compared to Haknyeon, whom she met the same time as she did Changmin, Mia wasn't comfortable with him. She still used formal language with him. She didn't really strike up any conversations between them. If it weren't for Haknyeon, Changmin would've forgotten how Mia sounded like. 

"Distance? I mean, you are older than me. And we don't talk a lot."

"Speak comfortably to me then. And you can call me oppa if you're uncomfortable with calling me by my name."

"Mhm," Mia looked like she seriously thought about it before reaching a conclusion," I'll call you oppa then." 

Mia looked like it was easy for her to switch formalities. Changmin guessed it was what her job demanded from her. Formalities. She might've been used to switching between levels of formalities because of how many her part time jobs were. 

"Why did you suddenly think of that? Want to get close to me?" Mia asked. 

"Yeah, I'd like to have a friend outside of show business who has irregular sleeping patterns," Changmin jokingly said. Mia rolled her eyes. 

"It isn't that interesting, to be honest."

"Haknyeon looks like he does find you interesting. It makes me curious too, especially because you shroud yourself in mystery."

"Because you are celebrities. My normal life isn't something you'd be interested to see. Anyway, I have to go home now. I need to sleep soon," Mia glanced at the main street next to the Han River, " And you should too. I'm sure idols should get more sleep."

"Mhm," Changmin chuckled, "Yeah, you're right, Mia. I look forward to more of our Han river meetups soon."

Before Mia left, she turned to him and smiled, " Yeah, I do too."


	6. Six

"You two look like pigs," Changmin commented as Haknyeon showed him a picture of Mia and him together, eating at a nearby restaurant. Haknyeon really made sure his identity was hidden by securing a place that had private cubicles in them, plus because it was kind of chilly, it was safe for him to go out, wrapped up. 

"I can't believe you called Mia a pig!" Haknyeon laughed. "But she really is. Man, she eats so much, especially sweets. You should've seen her when we went to this cafe and ate most of what I ordered."

"So you know her better now?"

"Yeah, she seems more open to me now, but she still won't tell me where she studies. I just know she wants to be a social worker."

"I couldn't imagine her... " Changmin's voice trailed off, remembering that Mia seemed to struggle all on her own. Maybe being a social worker was a way Mia wanted to contribute to the world. He wasn't sure though. 

"Anyway, when we talked about The Boyz, she kept calling you a giraffe. It was so funny how she copied you!" Haknyeon clapped his hands," I think she did her research well."

"Anyway, why are you telling me this?"

"I asked permission from our manager and he gave me an okay to let her into our dorm! But of course, she's not allowed to stay the night so I'll take her home," Haknyeon announced. 

"The manager agreed to get a girl into our place?" Sunwoo stopped by to enter the conversation," Did you tell Sangyeon-hyung about this? We should clean up a bit. We haven't even met this Mia person yet!"

"Don't worry, she'll stop by next week. She said she could cook for us," Haknyeon clapped his hands," I'm excited to taste her cooking!"

"You're only excited to get free food," Sunwoo scoffed, " What does she look like though? She might look like a pig just like you, hyung."

Haknyeon rolled his eyes. 

"She looks like a normal girl, Sunwoo. A normal college girl, " he answered, opening his phone. Once he found a picture of them together, he showed it to the younger. 

"She went out without makeup? That's something new. Even men wear make up these days," Changmin commented," and the last time I saw her, she had make up on."

"She said she was too lazy to put some on during that day. She had a test earlier that day," Haknyeon laughed, "Like I said, a normal college student. She just has more part time jobs than a normal one."

"Are you sure she isn't some crazed fan of ours though? She might be pretending not to know us well," Sunwoo asked. That thought did strike Changmin and Haknyeon at first but she didn't treat them any differently. She just teased them whenever they mentioned the idol life. She seemed disconnected from the world of entertainment anyway. 

"If she was, we would've gotten calls from other crazed fans. I mean, she does have my number, " Haknyeon said, " And I know it's dumb to give out my number but I like talking to her. She gives me a new point of view in life."

"She sounds like your therapist," Changmin laughed," Anyway, Mia's a nice and genuine girl. And she seems not to have enough time for herself, let alone be obsessed with idols. I trust her."

"Okay, if you say so, " Sunwoo clasped his hands," Can't be too careful. We did have a few dating rumors lying around back then."

Changmin felt Sunwoo staring at him. Rumors can start anywhere. That's how Changmin had his own dating rumors with Momoland's Nancy, even though nothing was true. He couldn't even meet Ghana regularly. To date someone even? He'd prefer to spend that time with his family. 

"You're the one to talk, Mr. Women are Pets, " Haknyeon teased, " That was the difficult part."

"Geez, you know that isn't even true. It was edited, "Sunwoo scoffed," I can't even hurt an ant. Let alone treat women as pets? That was such a disaster for us."

Changmin jokingly hit Sunwoo's shoulder. 

"Anyway, it isn't even that obvious that we're the ones she's visiting because this is an apartment complex. No one will really know unless it's a sasaeng. I just really want you guys to meet her. I think you'll get along with her and she doesn't really have friends to hang out with because of her schedule," Haknyeon fiddled his fingers. 

"Clarification, she has friends but because she has work outside of school, her friends are probably asleep when she has free time," Changmin added," She looks pretty lonely with that lifestyle."

"Alright, I'll trust you in this. But if something bad happens, I told you so," Sunwoo raised his arms before leaving the room. 

That day, Changmin thought it would be a great time to rent a bike at Han River. He asked Chanhee out but Chanhee rejected him, saying his muscles were all sore because of the choreography. He then asked Younghoon but Younghoon reasoned he was going to watch a movie with Juyeon. He knew he didn't want Sunwoo with him at that point because they just finished arguing about Sunwoo eating his macaroon. He then remembered Mia and borrowed Haknyeon's phone to text her. He didn’t know why though but he deleted their conversation right after.

It was an ungodly hour. Around 1:30 AM. If Mia was out, she was surely from her part time job. Soon, Mia replied. She said that she was studying in a cafe near the Han River. She had been there since 12 AM, after she left her karaoke job. Changmin then had the guts to ask her out to Han River, which she agreed to. The two of them agreed to meet up at the small store that sold street food and ramyeon. It was a common place for celebrities to meet up since it was kind of hidden and kind of dark. 

At 2 AM, Changmin saw a familiar silhouette approaching him. Mia gave him a small wave and a gentle smile. It had been quite a long time since he saw her. Sure, they met up occasionally along Han but it was usually by chance. It was the first time they meant to meet. It did sound like a date if Changmin thought it through. 

"Good mornight, oppa," Mia waved a bit. Changmin almost forgot he made her call him oppa. He was quite flustered at first before regaining his senses. 

"Hello to you too, Mia," Changmin waved back, smiling at her. Quite different from the picture Haknyeon showed earlier, Mia had make-up on and a sort of thick black coat. She had her hair up. Changmin guessed she let her hair grow long. He thought she was pretty in her own way but he quickly dismissed the idea. This was Haknyeon's supposed love interest turned best friend. He didn't want trouble. 

"Let's ride a bike. My treat," Changmin said when the two of them started walking. 

"It has been a long time since I rode a bike," Mia shared," I might be bad at it."

"How about you ride in a side car then?" he offered. Mia looked at him and nodded. 

"I'd be super okay with that," she raised a thumb up. As they walked, the two of them started talking more about random things. Sometimes, it was super emotional. Sometimes, it was super weird. It would be things like their deepest insecurities or if they thought aliens were real. Changmin did not believe in them. Mia did. Changmin believed the earth was flat. Mia almost choked, telling him he wasted his school days if he still believed the earth was flat. 

On the bike, Changmin seemed refreshed to pedal, even though he was basically carrying another person with him. Mia, on the other hand, seemed sentimental, as if the bike ride did bring back memories. 

"My mom died when I was young," she whispered but because the area they were in was so quiet, Changmin could hear it. "I was five. And my sister was just born. Mom died while giving birth to her. Lots of complications. I had to grow up quickly because of that, because dad can't bear the responsibility of raising two daughters alone."

"Is that why you're such a workaholic?" Changmin asked. He didn't want to look at Mia's face. He thought she'd have this hurt expression on it, an expression that might affect him more than it should. 

"Mhm," Mia hummed," Mom and dad had a complicated family history. Long story short, mom's parents hated dad, because he wasn't up to their standards. So when she died, that was when their support for us died too. After the funeral, they gave dad some sum of money to leave them alone. And we did. We went back to Busan to live with my dad's parents."

"That sounds like a drama, Mia."

"I hoped it was, oppa," Mia replied. Changmin noticed the yearning Mia had in her voice. Maybe she was opening up because she was tired. She wasn't like this the past times they met each other. But he couldn't say he didn't feel anything for it. He wanted to be there for her, even if it was simply listening to her life story. Was this what Haknyeon felt? Changmin wasn't sure. He just knew he wanted to know her more. He might not be content with their Han rendezvouses after that. 

"Do you hate your grandparents for abandoning your family like that?" Changmin asked. 

"Hmm," Mia paused," I hate them but at the same time, I understand their logic, you know? My dad did not go to college. He went to work instead, so he couldn't get hired in companies. My dad was not rich. Who would want their daughter to marry someone like that? I wouldn't... "

Changmin glanced at Mia when her voice trailed off. She looked sad under the moonlight, staring at the river just near them. She wasn't frowning but she had a blank expression. Changmin felt his heart sink watching her like that. 

"You know what?" Mia looked at Changmin, surprised when they matched eyes," Do you want to say something?"

"No, was just worried," Changmin looked back at the road," So you were saying?"

"Feeling hopeless will not help me. Feeling hatred might motivate me but it'll eat me up. I'd rather be strong, especially for my family at this point. In a few years, I'll graduate and become a breadwinner," she paused, seemingly watching Changmin's facial expression," You might not perfectly understand it because you're the baby of your family but as the eldest daughter, my main goal right now is to have my sister graduate college in a major she wants."

"Maybe you'll have a good time talking to my sisters instead of me then," Changmin whistled. He heard Mia chuckle a bit. 

"Maybe the Ji sisters are better company than their baby brother," Mia teased. She was back to normal, Changmin thought. 

"Maybe I can let you meet them someday," he said without thinking. 

"Call! I love sisters," Mia clasped her hands," Maybe I'll like them more than you."

"If you need someone to listen, I'm just here you know," Changmin said in a small voice," You can ask Haknyeon if you want to talk to me."

"It feels awkward?" Mia reasoned," You and I see each other so rarely that I sometimes forget your voice."

"Same here," Changmin sighed," We should hang out more, if we fit in each other's schedule."

"Well, you can ask Hak for that. I think he already keeps a timetable of my school days and my shifts," Mia jokingly suggested," He has always been a curious person. And well, you can come with Hak when he's meeting me."

"Sure," Changmin nodded. He wanted more time with her alone, since she seemed to be different with him compared to Haknyeon, but he guessed the only way for them to be more comfortable with each other was through Haknyeon. 

"Oh right, did Hak already tell you about me visiting your place?" Mia remembered. It took a lot of convincing for their manager to agree to Haknyeon's terms. Mia was there for the whole process. She saw Haknyeon basically beg their manager and Mia never understood why he was so stubborn to make her meet the members. 

"Yeah. Sunwoo seems a bit uneasy though," Changmin mused," He can be a bit wary around strangers. Plus we do have a lot of introverts in our group."

"Same, to be honest. I would put my guard up whenever there's a stranger," Mia nodded," I mean, I talk to people. People think I'm an extrovert but it's more of I'm gauging in order not to disappoint?"

"I didn't expect you to be an introvert though," Changmin put his eyes back to the road," So you also took the MBTI thing?"

"It's popular in my uni so I tried it out," Mia said," I'm an INFP. How about you? Your members tried it out?"

"Mhm," Changmin nodded," I'm an ESFP but when I took it the first time, I got ISFP. So I think I'm an ambivert?"

"Oohh, I can see that," Mia opened her phone," Oppa, I think I should go home."

"Mhm? Do you have classes in the morning?" Changmin asked. She nodded. 

"My first class is 9 AM I think. It's an elective I took," she answered. He frowned a bit before showing her a smile. 

"Let me at least take you to a cab?" Changmin asked. Mia shook her head. 

"I'll just walk. I don't have enough money to take a cab," she answered," Unless you're willing to pay for it too." The last part was a joke. It was obvious with how Mia almost laughed at it but the streets were still kind of dark in certain parts of Seoul that Changmin couldn't avoid getting worried. 

"Sure," Changmin said," I'll pay for your cab."

"What? Don't be silly," Mia shook her head," I'm used to walking so I'm okay with that."

"No," Changmin wagged his finger," You can't do anything, Mia. I want to do it. I'm pretty stubborn you know."

"I see with the flat earther thing," she pointed out," I'll pay you the next time I see you then. I don't like owing people."

"Treat it as a thank you for spending time with me," Changmin shrugged," Just let me be, Mia. I want you to be safe."

Mia sighed before she finally agreed to Changmin's offer. She knew Seoul, though relatively safe, still had its dangers, especially that she was a woman. But she didn't like relying on people. People mostly relied on her. Though she could admit that it felt good having someone like Changmin to worry about her. 

After returning the bike, Changmin and Mia walked to a nearby street where cabs would pass by. That was when Changmin realized how small Mia was compared to him. His sisters were near his height so he was used to girls who were taller than him so he wanted to be extra careful with Mia. Mia, on the other hand, was measuring in her head how long Changmin's neck was. Seeing it multiple times already, she never had the guts to ask him if it was okay for her to measure it. It might come off offensive to him and she didn't want that. She never wanted to offend one of the members Haknyeon was deathly afraid of. 

"Thanks for today, Mia," Changmin felt kind of shy telling her that. Mia scratched the back of her head, looking back at him. 

"See you when I see you?" Mia said, showing a small smile. Changmin felt his heart bounce a bit. 

"Mhm, same," Changmin nodded," Stay safe."

"You too, sir idol," she jokingly punched his arm before getting into the cab. When she closed the door, she rolled down the window," Please don't tell Hak about what I told you about my parents. It's really something personal to me."

"You can trust me, Mia," Changmin waved a little," I can give you a secret someday if you want to feel safe."

"No need," she started rolling up the window," My gut says I can trust you, Changmin-oppa."


	7. Seven

Ding dong. 

The doorbell rang. All of the members knew who it was. It was Haknyeon's new friend, Mia. All of their eyes shifted to Haknyeon as he stood up. He went to the door and pulled her into their dorm. 

"They're in the living room, well, most of them," Haknyeon told her. Mia felt like she was going to be interrogated with how the atmosphere felt like. Or it was the meeting the fiance's family kind of ambiance. Whatever it was, she knew she could survive it. 

"Hey, guys, this is Mia!" Haknyeon announced as he entered the living room, carrying the ingredients Mia brought with her. Kevin peeked at the young lady who was sort of hiding behind Haknyeon. 

"Don't be shy! We're not gonna bite. Well, Sunwoo might but most of us don't!" Kevin jokingly said, earning a hiss from the aforementioned member, " I'm Kevin Moon. I usually hold our Twitter account hostage."

"You're in charge of the Moon Scribbles right? I love your work! " Mia fumbled with her hands before showing her lockscreen, " When Haknyeon told me he had a member who used to be in Fine Arts, he didn't tell me you were this good!"

"Oh stop it!" Kevin sounded flustered. 

"Yeah, stop it. His ego will go up," Jacob interjected," I'm Jacob Bae. But I'm sure Haknyeon has already told you about us."

"And a little bit more too, " Mia added. Haknyeon smiled rather uneasily when the members shot him a look. 

"Nothing too embarrassing, of course! You'll kill me if I did, " he somehow blurted out. 

"Yah, Mia-ssi, " Sangyeon called her, " Who do you think is the most handsome now that you've met all of us?"

"I'm not sure..? My friends tell me I'm not good at judging appearances," Mia answered, " But the safest answer is always the one who asked the question, right?"

"Smart girl, " Haknyeon ruffled her hair, " Raised her right."

"I would be so unlucky if I was your daughter, Hak, " she playfully punched his arm," Anyway, I'm here to cook so if you have any requests, please tell me. Also, Hak told me Hyunjun-ssi will come over?"

"You invited Hyunjun over?" Jaehyun's eyes suddenly sparkled. He missed the younger already. It had been a few weeks since they last hung out. 

"Of course! If Mia's gonna meet The Boyz, I want her to meet the whole package, including our ultimate weapon, " Haknyeon winked. "Anyway, you heard her. Any requests? "

After around 30 minutes of the members discussing what they wanted to eat, along with the consultations they had with the ingredients Mia brought with her, they concluded the following: ramyeon, kimchi pancakes, and fried chicken (Mia was going to copy the recipe of the restaurant she works in). Three of the members were tasked to buy their drinks, which were Juyeon, Sunwoo, and Eric. Kevin and Sangyeon volunteered to help Mia out in the kitchen. Haknyeon automatically assumed he was in charge of making Mia feel comfortable around them. The others were tasked to clean up the aftermath. 

As Mia tied her hair in a ponytail, Sangyeon asked her what she wanted them to do. Her eyes suddenly changed and it looked like she was practically a new person. She was able to make three stations within the dorm's small kitchen, one for each dish. She told Sangyeon to do the kimchi pancakes and Kevin to do the ramyeon. Mia was in charge of the fried chicken of course. 

"Is this... a different person?" Kevin whispered to Haknyeon. The younger shrugged. 

"You know people who are different at work and different outside of work? Maybe this is her when she works, " he speculated. 

"You haven't seen her at work yet?"

"We see each other when she's free so no. Usually we meet before she works? Or when she's on leave?" 

"I've heard Changmin saw her once after work," Kevin shared," Like at Han river. You know how much Changmin loves Han."

"Did he say anything more?" 

"No, he just said it in passing so no details, " Kevin laughed at how Haknyeon frowned at his answer. With a firm resolve, Haknyeon went out of the kitchen and into Changmin's room to ask about it. 

Meanwhile, Sangyeon was getting to know who this Mia person was. 

"College student?" he asked. He got a nod as an answer. 

"And you're working how many part time jobs?" He asked. Mia raised a hand. 

"Five? How are you able to juggle that and your studies?" Sangyeon continued. Mia shrugged. 

"Supportive friends, I guess, and the cliche, hard work?" She finally talked. 

"Am I prying too much?"

"No, I mean, not as much as Hak and Changmin-oppa anyway. They want exact details from my life but I think those are useless."

"Have you told them that?"

"No. I mean, I thought they'll get it. But Hak's not good at reading me and I rarely see Changmin-oppa so there's that."

"You don't have Changmin's phone number?"

"Never asked," Mia paused, knowing in her mind that she was lying but she didn't want to answer a lot of questions, " And it's not like I would need him for anything. Besides that, Hak's usually with you guys so when I text Hak, I'm basically texting the whole of you."

"And oppa?"

"He told me to drop the formalities so I did. I'm still getting used to it though," Mia smiled a bit, "He doesn't have that oppa feel to him yet."

"Oppa feel?"

"Oh," she chuckled," You wouldn't understand."

Haknyeon found Changmin fiddling with his analogue camera when he went into the room. His bed was still super messy, with lots of things on it, like his blankets, lights, plushies, etc. But Changmin felt really comfortable in his space so Haknyeon preferred not to judge. 

"I heard you met with Mia at Han?" Haknyeon sat on Changmin's bed, " And you didn't tell me?"

"Should I report to you whenever I meet her?" Changmin asked as he sat up. His hair was messy, tilted to one side, because of how he laid there. 

"Fair, " Haknyeon shrugged, " But she didn't tell me anything about seeing you there. I just knew Mia went out on a walk and--"

"And that's when she found me," Changmin completed his sentence," You know the time I wanted to get some fresh air? That's when I saw her."

"So," Changmin felt like Haknyeon's eyes changed, like he was so curious about what happened that night. "What did you two talk about? Did she tell you where she studied?"

"No, " Changmin avoided his eyes," but she did tell me it was in Wolgok-dong. That narrows down which universities to look at."

"I have a guess in mind then. But aside from that, anything juicy?"

"What are you implying, Ju Haknyeon?" Changmin raised his eyebrow," Well, whatever it is, I'm guessing you'll be intrigued to know that she calls me oppa now, not Changmin-ssi."

"Oppa?" Haknyeon almost screamed. But it was loud enough to invite Chanhee into the room. 

"Who called what now oppa?" Chanhee said as he entered the room, still with his airpods on. 

"Mia calls her oppa now. I'm jealous!" Haknyeon almost sounded like he was whining. 

"Wow," Chanhee clapped his hands," Ladies' man aren't you, Ji Changmin?"

"Ladies' man? It's just the same as Haknyeon calling me hyung. No malice, no different intentions!" Changmin cleared out," I'm not used to it though. Fans do call me oppa but if it's someone who's Hak's friend, it's weird."

"Haknyeon's friends are usually weird," Chanhee commented. 

"Are you weird then?" Haknyeon asked them. 

"Am I your friend?" Changmin asked back, making Chanhee laugh out of surprise. 

"Hyung," Haknyeon whined, "Whatever. But I'm telling you, oppa's one step closer to being someone's jagi (honey)."

"Same thing as saying hyung's a step closer to being lovers," Changmin almost barfed," Titles like that don't mean a thing in relationships anyway."

"You sound like you're setting them two up," Chanhee commented," Not complaining though. Just make sure she won't get caught up in our careers.

"I didn't expect you to be a mature person because you know how Haknyeon can be," Sangyeon told Mia. 

"And you're so hardworking. Like, where do you get the motivation? " Kevin asked. Mia suddenly became shy. Kevin just complimented her. Did she have a crush on Kevin? Maybe. Come on, even with the lack of lips, he still looked quite cute. But was it a crush? Well, time would find out. She just knew she found him cute. 

"I'm.. You'll get this desperate if you went through what I went through," Mia smiled at him," Poverty sucks. I'm just lucky enough I could pull through college. I'm really thankful for getting a scholarship. But of course, I need to maintain high grades."

"I know that feeling all too well, " Kevin whistled, " As someone who actually went to college... Man, that's tough."

"But that's life," she shrugged, " It's better to enjoy the ride when it lasts. I might not get a job after graduating after all."

"Unemployment sucks," Sangyeon frowned," A lot of people here in Korea are unemployed or underemployed. It's sad to see potential go to waste."

"It's a capitalist world, " Kevin whistled," But if you want help getting a job, Mia, maybe one of our sponsors can help you out or something."

"Nah, it's fine. I want to do it without any help like that. It would be unfair for the other people wanting to get the job."

"God, do we have a Jacob the second here? You can be a bit more selfish, you know, " Sangyeon advised her," Being selfish isn't bad. I think that's how we also got this far. It's because we were selfish for our own ambitions."

"Amen to that, brother," Kevin said in English before switching back to Korean," Being Nyeonnie's friend means being our friend too. Don't hesitate to reach out to us. I'm sure Haknyeon would tell you the same thing."

"Yeah," Mia chuckled, " He would."

After an hour or so, the trio finally finished cooking their meal. They decided to eat at their living room, as they always did, because the dining room-kitchen combination didn't let them all fit. When Hyunjun and Mia were introduced to each other, the two also clicked well, personality-wise. 

Changmin couldn't avoid looking at the two as they exchanged touches, like high fives and what nots. Mia was never touchy with him after all. And the two looked like they were having fun. 

"How are you two so close automatically?" Changmin was thankful Sunwoo had the nerve to ask. 

"I worked at one of his photoshoots," Mia answered, putting a small slice of the kimchi pancakes into her mouth, "Like stagehands? Similar to stage hands."

"Yeah, she was the only one close to my age too! So we talked a lot," Hyunjun added," That was like a few months ago? So I didn't recognize her first because her hair grew longer and she dyed it too."

"So where do you work? Like all of your workplaces?" Chanhee asked. Changmin guessed the members were all too eager to get to know her. She was the first lady Haknyeon or any of the members brought over, who wasn't their family anyway. And she was a complete stranger to them. She used to be only a name Haknyeon tossed around. Even Changmin didn't talk about her at all, even though he wanted to. He made him feel like he was with her sisters again after all. He missed that feeling. 

When Mia started listing where she worked, Changmin wasn't really listening. He had his mind elsewhere, maybe deducing where she studied. Maybe thinking about their next stage. He wasn't sure himself. He watched in silence as Chanhee stood up, looking like he was familiar with the places Mia was mentioning. 

"So that's why this chicken tastes familiar!" Jaehyun exclaimed, clapping his hands," I appreciate your hard work, Mia-ssi."

"Is the manager still the same? I worked there like... 4 or 5 years ago?" Chanhee inquired, continuing to describe the mentioned manager who had a mole on her nose and unruly eyebrows. Mia gasped and nodded excitedly. 

"We worked for the same boss!" they said in unison, getting a high five from each other. 

"Wow, the world's really small," Sangyeon said under his breath. This girl had more connections to the members than he did when he first met them. He was happy that they felt more comfortable with her at that point though. And Haknyeon looked happy about that too, he observed. He had a brotherly smile while watching Mia interact with the members.

"You two don't really plan on dating? " Jaehyun asked rather straightforwardly, pointing his chopsticks at Haknyeon then Mia. The both of them looked at each before laughing. 

"I think we're pretty good with our friendship, hyung," Haknyeon told him," I do want a girlfriend but I'm not so desperate to drag Mia into my life like that."

"Dating is a no-go for me, Hyunjae-ssi, I'm too busy," Mia shook her head. When Sangyeon heard Jaehyun's stage name, he remembered that it would be better to remove their formalities altogether. He discussed it with the other members last night, with Mia's visit being the main topic of their 5 minute talk. 

"Oh yeah, Mia? Is it alright if I call you just that?" Sangyeon asked. Mia nodded. "We've all talked and decided you can drop your formalities with us. You can call the older members oppa if you'd like and the younger members by their names. If you're confused with who's the older ones, you can refer to who Haknyeon calls as hyung."

"I'm okay with being called oppa though," Eric snickered. Sunwoo seconded the motion but Chanhee was able to stop them before it could get too far. 

"Don't make her uncomfortable with us. She's Nyeonnie's friend," Jacob reminded them," If Haknyeon is okay with her, we should make her feel at home. We are his family here."

"That's so sappy, hyung," Haknyeon said, wiping fake tears from his eyes," But Jacob-hyung is right, Mia. You can treat them as your family too if you want. If you want advice, you can go to Hyunjae-hyung or Sunwoo. If you want fashion things, here's Hyunjun, Chanhee-hyung, and Younghoon-hyung. We all have our own field of expertise."

"Aside from eating, what's yours?" Changmin jokingly asked. 

"I'm good at making her smile!" Haknyeon snapped.

"He's good with the stupid thing he's got going on," Mia teased," Hak's easy to be with so he knows how to make me smile. He should learn to read the room though."

"Tell me about it!" Sangyeon sighed. Haknyeon rolled his eyes as they all laughed at her remark. 

Mia wanted to go home as soon as she fed them but the members convinced her to stay for a little longer. It wasn't even sundown yet. And they wanted to get to know her. She slowly grew on them like a little sister that most of them never had. But of course, she wasn't that comfortable yet. Whenever she had skinship, it was with Haknyeon and Hyunjun, as she knew them for a longer time. She didn't even touch Changmin's arm a lot. She was also getting used to calling the older members oppa, though she already memorized who was older than her. It was a completely draining day for an introvert like her. 

"Do you have a Twitter account?" 

Eric peered over her shoulder to see what she was doing. She was on social media of course. Whenever she felt something, she tweeted about it. She didn't have many followers anyway. No one cared what she went through except her friends. 

"I do, " she answered under her breath," Only thing keeping me sane sometimes."

"Can I follow you then? Does hyung know you have an account?" Eric asked. Mia nodded twice as her answer. 

"You'll just see boring stuff though," she told him," And rants? Normal young woman stuff."

"I'd go for young woman stuff over the hyungs fighting over what's the best Eeveelution anyday," Eric mused, handing her his phone. Mia gave her phone to Eric too. 

"Let me follow you back, Eric. Wouldn't really see your replies otherwise," Mia said. Eric agreed, punching in his username on her phone. When Eric got his phone back, it was still at her Twitter profile. 

"Is this Haknyeon-hyung in this picture?" Eric asked as he showed Mia her tweet. She blurred out Haknyeon's face so no one would recognize him. She laughed because it looked like Haknyeon was a suspect for a case. 

"Yeah, we went out recently to eat pizza," Mia answered," I think he tweeted about that too?"

"Yeah, and he didn't bring any home," Eric pouted. He then sat beside Mia. "So... Any of the hyungs interest you?"

"Why are members of The Boyz addicted to setting me up with someone? Are your hormones going crazy?" Mia rolled her eyes," I already said I don't plan on dating anyone. I'm already busy."

"We're busy too but I want girls to visit us," Eric whined," Or other people at least? We only have each other and the manager. Sometimes, camera people but they don't talk to us much."

"Then I can visit without dating anyone," Mia reassured him. 

"Are you sure of that? The hyungs are single and available. I think you'd go well with someone like Hyunjun? Or maybe you want someone older?"

"Stop that!" Mia jokingly punched Eric's arm," If I have to pick, I'm okay with the 98z."

"We have four candidates for you then," Eric whistled," But they're all so different!"

"Mhm, " Mia watched Eric with amusement. She kept the reasons why she picked the 98 liners to herself. She did have her eye on Kevin but the other 98 liners weren't so bad. Juyeon was the type to silently help her and according to Haknyeon's stories, he was funny as hell. Chanhee had a voice that angels would die for and his fashion sense was one of the best ones in the group, according to the pictures she saw online. Changmin wasn't lagging behind either, especially because of possibly meeting him regularly at Han River.

"Are you comfortable there, Mia-ah?" Sangyeon asked when he left his room," If you want, you can stay in one of our rooms. Eric's bed is the neatest so I recommend there."

"Or I can tour you around our rooms! So you can judge how filthy these pigs can be," Eric suggested. 

"How many people are in one room generally? This place looks so small for eleven grown men to live in," Mia asked. 

"Two to three, I think? Most of the rooms have two members in them. I think only one room has three members after Hyunjun left," Sangyeon answered," Take care of her, Eric-ah. And don't say anything that can offend her. She's a guest here."

"Mhm, hyung," Eric nodded rather slowly but Sangyeon chose to ignore how sarcastic the younger one can get. Eric helped Mia stand up before heading to the first room Eric thought of, which was Juyeon and Younghoon's room. Juyeon and Younghoon were on one bed, talking about who knows what. Haknyeon was on Juyeon's bed, eating who knows what. 

"Mia-ah," Younghoon reacted when she entered the room. He patted the spot next to him. "If Youngjae's making you tired, you can stay here."

"Yeah, they're talking about their high school days so I think you can fit in," Haknyeon nodded, sitting up from the bed. "I just realized you never talked about your high school."

"It was boring, I swear," Mia said, sitting down on Juyeon's bed. Eric followed suit. "I studied in a public school, and graduated with an academic award."

"You had an award? If you were that smart, you wouldn't have chosen Hak as a friend," Juyeon commented. 

"Ya!" Haknyeon threw a pillow at the older member which only led to Juyeon laughing more. "I am an awesome friend, thank you very much."

"Yes, he is," Mia pinched Haknyeon's cheeks," Anyway, Eric was showing me around."

Haknyeon shot a look at Eric. Basically it meant that if he screwed anything up, Haknyeon would personally see to it that he got punished. Eric had his head in another place already though. He worried that Sunwoo's underwear may be lying around in his room and Mia might see how unhygienic idols can be. 

"Anyway, we're off," Eric stood up. Mia did too and waved a little goodbye to the roommates plus Haknyeon. 

The next room was Sangyeon and Jacob's. Basically, the parents' room, as Eric would call it. When they went in, Mia couldn't ignore the boxes of cereal at the corner of the bed. It was the first thing she noticed before seeing Jacob at the upper bunk, waving at them. 

"Hello, Mia!" Jacob said in English before switching back to Korean," If you're looking for Sangyeon, he went to the bathroom."

"Nope, Eric was just showing me around your place," Mia informed him. Jacob raised his eyebrows and nodded. 

"The maknae sure took a liking to you then," Jacob commented. 

"Sure did!" Eric clapped his hands," A girl I can call a noona around here, that isn't, in reality, an auntie."

"The charm of a college girl, I'm guessing," Jacob said," Anyway, I hope you're keeping up with his energy. I know I can't sometimes."

"I think he lowered it for me," Mia chuckled," A kind soul, really."

"If Eric's a kind soul, the rest can be archangels then," Jacob teased. Eric pouted while whining a little "Hyung."

"We cleaned up a bit because we knew we had a guest coming," Jacob informed Mia, stepping down from his bed," We didn't want to look like--"

"11 boys living in the same dorm?" Mia finished his sentence. Jacob nodded with a smile. 

"Our Eric made sure our place was squeaky clean before you arrived," he said, patting Eric's back," He did a great job to be honest. I don't even recognize Q's and Sunwoo's beds."

"So they're the messy ones?" Mia asked. Eric thought for a bit. 

"Changmin-hyung isn't really that messy but his bed has a lot of stuff on it. Sunwoo, on the other hand," he groaned," Let's just say if we were roommates, our friendship would end."

"Ouch," Mia flinched," That bad, huh."

"Worse than whatever you can imagine, noona," Eric said, looking down as if Sunwoo's hygiene was the worst tragedy in The Boyz history. "Anyway, we should get going to another room!"

"See you later, alligator," Jacob waved at Mia and she did the same, whispering a small "See you."

According to Eric, the next room was supposed to be Haknyeon and Jaehyun's but both owners were out of their rooms. Haknyeon was still in Younghoon and Juyeon's room while Jaehyun was in Kevin, Changmin, and Sunwoo's room, playing PUBG with them as usual. 

"Well, we can take a peek," Eric whispered, opening the door a bit. Mia could see that there was a bag full of snacks on the desk. There was also a corkboard with flyers of delivery services. Definitely, these two had passion for food. Mia couldn't question that. These were the type of people to order food in the middle of the night just because they craved it. 

They were her type of people then. 

"Let's go before Hyunjae-hyung finds us," Eric pulled Mia by her wrist. She was surprised with the sudden touch but she let him be. He looked excited with having her around. He headed towards his and Chanhee's room next, rushing through the PUBG room. She didn't have time to process what was happening in the previous room. All she could process was how clean Eric and Chanhee's room was. 

"Woah," she said under her breath as Eric showed her his closet. His clothes were neatly hung and folded. There were categories. The organization was impeccable. To the point where she subconsciously ignored Chanhee, who was on his bed, fiddling on his phone. 

"I'm apparently invisible," Chanhee jokingly said," Mia-yah, stop drooling over Eric's closet."

"Oh, I'm--" Mia snapped out of her daze and turned to Chanhee. She bowed while apologizing. Chanhee found that she was the type who didn't like to ignore people. Well, he guessed that. And he was sort of good at guessing how people were. 

"It's fine!" Chanhee sat up and sat with his legs crossed. "How's your day so far?"

"Interesting? I mean, I am having a peek into the life of idols," Mia answered, rather unsure about how she should answer his question. 

"Loosen up," Chanhee showed a rather brotherly smile," The members won't bite but we are serious that Hak might because... Oh you know how he is."

"Mhm," Mia nodded and chuckled. 

"Hyung looks the coolest right now," Eric commented, earning a glare from the older member," Anyway, what were you doing, hyung?"

"Tetris, a no brainer to be honest," Chanhee answered," Paused the game to have a talk with you two. "

"I feel honored," Eric bowed a bit, earning another glare from Chanhee. That was the time when Mia realized that The Boyz showed their affection through teasing each other. She found it cute. They do look like children when they do after all. 

Chanhee turned to Mia and looked at her only, just to remove his attention from Eric. 

"So, why are you taking up so many part time jobs?" Chanhee went straight to the point with what he was curious about when he met her," I'm sorry if this is sudden. But I thought you wouldn't answer honestly if we were with the others."

"My family's not that economically okay, to be honest," Mia answered as she looked down," So I have to step up as the oldest daughter."

"So you have siblings?" Eric asked," You looked like an only child!"

"Yeah, one," Mia held up one finger," She's graduating middle school soon, so I have to help fund her education and mine."

"You never thought of not going to uni anymore? We have one member who dropped out," Chanhee shared," And it's Kevin. I really don't know if he regretted that decision though."

"I didn't expect Kevin to be a drop out," Mia had her mouth open. 

"I heard he wants to get back to school though," Eric said, "So he might when our schedule tones down."

"Wah, good luck to him then," Chanhee clasped his hands," We already see how uni life is affecting Haknyeon."

"I still can't believe Hak still goes to school," Mia shook her head. 

"Me neither," Eric agreed," We always have been busy. But I guess the uni he chose is lenient with attendance."

The three of them continued to talk about university life. Well, Mia mainly did. She almost told them her major and her university but managed to smoothly change her words when she did. She told them about her friends there, how she managed her time. She was comfortable with this pair, she was sure of it. 

"We have one room left!" Eric realized that they were getting distracted by the conversation," Kev-hyung, Q-hyung and Sunwoo's room!"

"Go ahead then," Chanhee nodded them off with Mia not forgetting to wave at him before they went out of the door. 

The remaining room was noisy. And when Eric opened the door, both of them knew why. Jaehyun was on Sunwoo's bed, screaming about an enemy nearing them. Changmin was on his own bed, reminding them of the shrinking play zone. While Sunwoo, Sunwoo had his eyes glued to the screen as he skilfully pressed on his phone. The only member who wasn't playing, Kevin, had a Nintendo Switch in his hands and the music sounded like Animal Crossing. 

"Ya!" Eric shouted to get their attention but he was ignored by the PUBG trio. Kevin looked down from his bunk and waved at the pair, signalling them to climb up to his bunk. When Mia climbed up, that's when she found Hyunjun, sleeping on Kevin's bed. 

"He's used to the noise," Kevin reassured her," He did room here before but since Sunwoo took his old bed, he decided to sleep on mine for now."

Mia had a long look at Kevin's bed. From the ground, it wasn't obvious but his side of the wall had his artworks displayed. Her eyes were glued at them. 

"Freehand?" Mia asked," Do you use digital or traditional more?"

"Digital is more convenient but I don't forget to take on traditional," Kevin answered. Eric lied down beside Hyunjun. They were so crowded on Kevin's bed that Mia was afraid it would break. 

"Noona, are you interested in art?" Eric asked. Mia nodded a bit. 

"I like going to museums. I'm not talented at things like that but I do love looking at art," she explained. Eric pointed to himself, saying he was an art piece. Mia chuckled," Yes, sure, you are, Eric."

The noise on the ground died down when the three were done with their round. 

"Mia?" 

Mia heard Changmin call her name. She looked down to see him looking up to her. He had fake glasses on and his phone was in his hands. Jaehyun and Sunwoo were also looking up to her, the former waving his hand and the latter just looking. 

"What is it, oppa?" Mia asked. Changmin was surprised at first but yeah, he was still getting used to the whole oppa thing. Kevin was also looking down at Changmin, curious about what he was going to tell Mia. 

"Sorry for the noise," he apologized, showing her the game they were playing," and sorry for ignoring you while we were in game."

"It's understandable anyway," Mia shook her head," No need to apologize."

"Such a kind heart," Jaehyun commented before laughing," But that's just how noisy we can get, Mia."

"Mhm, I have friends who play games so I understand," Mia said," Of course, I have no time to join them but they usually play when we don't have our professors in."

"Why not play with them then?" Eric asked," It's more fun if you join."

"I'd rather not put any distractions on my phone," Mia answered," I might get addicted."

"Like on Twitter?" Hyunjun's sleepy voice surprised Mia. Oh right, Hyunjun and Mia were mutuals on Twitter. She forgot a lot of things with the many things she was learning. "You've been tweeting nonstop recently."

"You did not have to expose me like that," Mia said as she fanned herself. She knew if the boys knew about her account, they would ask about it. And since she had her account public, oh god, she couldn't control what they would see. What did she tweet about recently? Well, she forgot. Did she tweet about her meeting The Boyz? Why did she have a bad memory suddenly? 

"Wah, noona, you have a Twitter account?" Sunwoo reacted. 

"A-Ah," Mia knew she had no choice but to nod," You don't need to follow me though. I mean, I tweet about nonsense."

"I'm sure your tweets are more interesting than Sunwoo's missing airpods tweets," Changmin chimed," Reminds me, found your airpods?"

"Saw them under my bed," Sunwoo answered," And I don't only think about missing stuff!"

"Younghoon's tweets are the best. All about animals," Jaehyun said, scrolling through his phone. They seemed to forget about their PUBG session. They were more focused with the new person in their room. 

"If you're uncomfortable with letting us know your account, it's fine if you won't tell us your username," Kevin reassured her," I have your back with this."

Mia sighed. It was just a simple follow. Her problem was they wouldn't be simply followers. They are K-pop idols who have their songs chart. She was just a poor college girl. She knew that it wouldn't add up. 

"@mamamiaaa, that's three a's," Mia said. 

"What?" Changmin perked his head," Is that your username? "

"Won't say it again," she shook her head before hiding herself by nearing herself to the wall. Hyunjun and Eric made space for her. Kevin mouthed if it was okay for him to follow her and she nodded. 

"I can send you a list of our usernames," Kevin said," We're on private so you won't find us easily."

"Thanks. My dms are open for that," Mia smiled. Whatever Mia felt at that moment, it felt nice. It felt nice to be a spectator of Kevin's smile. She hoped to see it more. 

"Ah, why does Eric already follow you?" Sunwoo complained. Eric peeked down at him. 

"Because I'm better than you, Woo," Eric said, resulting in Sunwoo rolling his eyes. 

"On what planet, 'Ric?" Sunwoo snapped back at him. 

"On this one," Eric stuck his tongue out. These were definitely the youngest ones in the group. Their friendship was like watching two grade schoolers fighting. Though, Mia admitted it was pretty interesting. 

"Mimi!"

All of the members turned their heads to the door. They saw Haknyeon there. They knew it was him anyway. He was the only person to call Mia Mimi. 

"Time to go?" Mia asked. Haknyeon nodded. Mia noticed Eric had his arms wrapped around her waist. He did grow on her. He was like a puppy as to how clung to her. Hyunjun was also pouting but he knew he'd see her again for another photoshoot. Kevin just smiled at her. They didn't talk a lot but Kevin appreciated her company. It reminded him of his sister back at home. 

"Let me go, Eric-ah," Mia said as she tried to remove Eric's arms," We can hang out when you're free. Just learn how to hide yourself well from Hak." 

"Promise me that, noona?" 

"Mhm," Mia showed her pinky finger. They made a pinky promise after that. When she went down from Kevin's bunk bed, she met Changmin's eyes. He gave her a little goodbye. Mia didn't know why but she expected a handshake at least. Jaehyun approached her and gave her back a pat. 

"Rescue us from being a sausage fest again someday," Jaehyun jokingly commented. Mia laughed at that and shifted her eyes at Sunwoo. He seemed like he was able to breathe when Haknyeon said Mia needed to leave. Maybe he just wasn't used to Mia yet. She didn't know. But at least he gave her a little bye too. 

After saying goodbye to each of the members, Haknyeon found himself walking Mia to the nearest bus station. 

"I think I know now," Haknyeon mumbled, making Mia look at him. She raised an eyebrow, basically asking what it was. "Your university!"

"Is that all you've been thinking about?" Mia asked. Haknyeon nodded, explaining how he got his answer. 

"So Dongduk?" Haknyeon asked. Mia nodded. 

"My major then?"

"Social Welfare? You do want to be a social worker," Haknyeon guessed. Mia clapped her hands. 

"You finally got it. You didn't notice I usually interact with my senior there on Twitter? Her name's Sena-sunbae and I think she has our school on her bio."

"Well, that would've made my life easier," Haknyeon sulked. Mia laughed, bumping her shoulder with his. 

"But Nyeonnie, you did a good job."

"Hey! Only the members can call me that!"


	8. Eight

Changmin thought about it. His members were all so eager to hang out with Mia again, especially Eric. He was too, to be honest, but he wanted to content himself in their late night Han River rendezvous. He was curious about her. But he didn't know how to deal with that curiosity or if it was more than curiosity. 

The other members were getting themselves dressed. They had practice scheduled during the night. Their manager told them they could rest during the day since Mia was visiting. Changmin wondered how Haknyeon convinced their manager to let a girl in but he didn't want to ask a lot of questions.

Changmin saw Sunwoo lying lazily on his bed, already dressed in a grey hoodie and jogging pants. He wasn't sure if there was a shirt underneath the hoodie. He just knew he could see Sunwoo's belly button. Kevin, his other roommate, was outside of their room, maybe drinking coffee or eating ramyeon. Changmin was ready to go too. He had a black shirt and black pants on. He was also contemplating if he would bring one pair of fake glasses. 

Changmin heard Sangyeon's voice from the living room, calling them to gather up. He guessed Haknyeon already was in the dorm too. He picked up his backpack with all his essentials and headed towards the living room. Sunwoo followed him closely behind too. As soon as the members gathered in the living room, Chanhee did a head count. He always did at times like this. 

"It's been a long time since we were 12," Chanhee sounded sentimental," Junnie, not leaving soon?"

"I'll just come with you until the bus stop. I already told your manager," Hyunjun answered. Eric looked excited to have Hyunjun with them again. To be honest, everyone was excited, but with Eric, being the ball of sunshine that he was, made it too obvious. It had been months or so since Hyunjun left. Or had it been a year? The Boyz didn't want to count how long Hyunjun was forced to leave due to his medical condition. It only made them sad. But all of them wanted to treasure that rare moment when they were twelve. It was possible after all. 

The members all went down to go to the vans where their managers were. They split in groups of two, whoever got into the car first, so the split was random. In one van, there were Hyunjun, Jaehyun, Eric, Sangyeon, Juyeon, and Jacob. In the other were Sunwoo, Changmin, Chanhee, Kevin, Younghoon, and Haknyeon. One van was full of going back to memory lane. While the other van, well, Chanhee, Changmin, and Sunwoo were in them. 

"Sunwoo, listen to me!" Changmin almost screamed. Sunwoo rolled his eyes and turned the volume of his music up. 

"Hyung, do something," Chanhee whispered to Younghoon. The oldest member in the vn shrugged. He knew he couldn't do anything when they started acting like that. Sangyeon would be the only one to stop them and well, even if it was Sangyeon, they couldn't always see eye-to-eye. Chanhee turned to Kevin, who seemed to be live tweeting the whole fight. He groaned.

"Just relax, hyung. Let them solve their problems by themselves," Haknyeon told Chanhee. He was right. Changmin and Sunwoo would later reconcile. It was just so noisy when they didn't. If Kevin didn't have much of a problem with it, Chanhee shouldn't be, right? 

"You're right," Chanhee glanced to the two members, still arguing about who-knows-what. They've been arguing about everything recently. As Changmin's best friend, Chanhee had to witness most of their fights. In the practice room. During V-lives. Rehearsals. In their dorm even more. Those two didn't know when to stop fighting. It was a miracle it never escalated to a fist fight and for that, Chanhee was grateful. He knew Sangyeon would beat their asses if they fought physically. 

"I should've been in the van with Hyunjun, " Sunwoo mumbled, loud enough for sensitive Changmin to hear it. 

"I would want any other member than you now, Sunwoo," Changmin snapped. Sunwoo agreed with that sentiment. Both of them knew this fight wouldn't last long but they needed a breather from each other. Changmin let out a sigh, earning a glance from Sunwoo. 

"Hyung, you better don't kick my ass later at practice," the younger commented. 

"Oh, I will if you don't take it seriously," Changmin warned him. Sunwoo knew Changmin would get back to normal once practice started, but that also meant Changmin would turn into dance mentor mode. Their fight in the van wouldn't matter, just Sunwoo's performance as a dancer. Sunwoo cursed under his breath. 

"I will.. " Sunwoo changed the music on his phone to a louder song. He wanted to drown Changmin's voice with it even if it meant making himself deaf. 

When the members dropped Hyunjun off at the bus stop, they all hugged him. They even did one last "Get it? Got it" cheer before they left him there. Though they still had eleven members, it still felt lonely with one member missing. The noisy van also changed its seating arrangement, as per order from Jaehyun who saw Kevin's thread. Changmin switched seats with Younghoon. At that moment, it was Changmin with Chanhee at the second row, Kevin and Haknyeon in the third row, and Younghoon and Sunwoo at the back of the van. 

Changmin was still fuming, despite somehow cooling down with Hyunjun's departure. And he knew none of the members in the van would let him rant at them, as they've turned a deaf ear since Changmin started repeating himself with the complaints. He decided to text Mia about the whole situation, or DM her was the right word? She still didn't text a lot with anyone but Haknyeon after all, but her Twitter was free for them to roam on and he did. 

He scrolled through her tweets, which were all expected for someone who was a fan of K-pop. She said she didn't watch TV much but she sure was active on social media. She tweeted about little things, like how her pen wasn't working or Seventeen's Dino ruining her bias list. She sure was a normal girl outside her part time jobs. Sometimes, Changmin forgets that. She wasn't special. He repeated that to himself. He didn't know why he needed to remind himself but he did. 

He finally made up his mind to DM her, before Chanhee became suspicious of what he was doing. Luckily, Haknyeon wasn't that nosy that evening or he would've asked what he was doing on Mia's feed. He sent a simple "hi" first then the conversation continued smoothly. In Changmin's opinion, it was. They talked about Changmin's argument with Sunwoo, which Mia said was Changmin's fault because he could've easily removed the airpods himself. She told him to control his temper and continued nagging him. 

"If I knew this would happen... " But Changmin couldn't avoid showing a small smile on his face. She kind of reminded him of his older sisters. After nagging him about his temper, Changmin offered his ears (well, eyes) for whatever Mia's thinking about. She told him about her best friend, who still didn't know about Haknyeon, or that The Boyz knew her. Changmin understood why Mia would hide it but if it was her best friend, it's surely someone trustworthy. 

"She cannot, for her life, keep her mouth shut when it comes to these. Deep dark secrets? Sure. But secrets involving idols? Better tweet it and tag your accounts then," she basically said. Changmin chuckled inwardly. He didn't want to get caught by his members. He tried giving her advice about it, telling her that maybe her bestfriend's not that bad at keeping secrets like that. Mia's safety was at stake after all. Her best friend would be careful about that. 

The two of them continued to talk about themselves. Changmin talked about his dog, Ghana, and his silly habits. Mia talked about her part time jobs and the different people she met through it. She even made a passive nudge at Haknyeon who asked for her phone number. Before Changmin noticed it, they were at the building where the training rooms were at. He told her where they were and she told him not to tire himself out. 

Oddly, he felt a new surge of energy into his body. 


	9. Nine

It took a long time before Haknyeon and Mia matched their schedules again. The Boyz were becoming more popular with each day passing by. Mia had her finals coming up and she needed to have high enough grades for her scholarship. Whenever Haknyeon had free time, he would spend it on catching up on lessons since he didn't want to repeat his sophomore year. Whenever Mia had free time, she spent it with her university friends or alone at the Han River. Sometimes, she would bump into Changmin or Sangyeon there, or a small group of the members to go play basketball. She wasn't sporty so she always declined their offer. 

Despite the incompatible schedules, the two of them kept talking to each other. Haknyeon discovered that Mia didn't have a mother at home and only lived with her father and sister. Mia discovered that being cute was in Haknyeon's genes, seen in the pictures he sent of his sisters. Aside from chatting with Haknyeon, Eric and Changmin were also talking to her. Eric sent a lot of embarrassing pictures of the members. He also kept asking her to hang out, even if it's just at the Han river to eat ramyeon. Changmin acted as an older brother type of person to Mia though he did have some slip ups where Mia saw that he was charming and scary at the same time. 

"It's a miracle you agreed to see me," Changmin said, adjusting his mask. Mia met with him in a cafe in an alley near Cre.ker. She rolled her eyes. 

"Hak said he was worried about my mental health but he's at a schedule right now?" Mia checked with Changmin. The older nodded, explaining that Haknyeon was invited to a certain show but that Haknyeon was really worried about her so he forced Changmin to go see her instead. 

"So, you are forced to see me?" Mia asked. Changmin shrugged, smiling. 

"It's nice to see you again, Mia. How's your sister doing?" Changmin asked. Mia raised an eyebrow. 

"So you like girls that young, oppa? Ew," Mia reacted. Changmin rolled his eyes. 

"You know what I mean, Mia."

"She's well. Hana got into the school she wanted and there was a scholarship lucky enough," Mia rubbed her arms. She looked kind of anxious? Nervous? Changmin wasn't sure how to describe what she looked like. 

"Something bothering you?"

"A lot, if I were honest. But it'll all pass soon," Mia answered. Changmin was sure this was what Haknyeon was saying but he didn't give many details about Mia's situation. Well, Mia didn't like that either. She valued privacy over anything. 

"What will?"

"You'll know when they pass, oppa."

"Why then?"

"Because I can handle all of this myself," Mia said, closing her eyes. "There are things that aren't easily explainable, especially with feelings."

"How do you feel?"

"Is this a therapy session?"

"Just bonding time with Changmin-oppa."

"Don't call yourself that!" Mia laughed. "Alright. I'll tell you a word then. Emptiness."

"You feel empty?"

"It isn't a new feeling though. I've felt it before and will feel it again. That's life, especially in university."

"Why?"

"You know... " Her voice trailed off, putting her elbow on the table and her chin on her palm," I tried tracking down the reason before. But usually, it's without any reason. It just attacks me out of the blue. Maybe I miss my mom? I miss the me in the past? My life lacks purpose? I don't know. "

"Have you tried going to therapy?"

"I can't afford it. Wait," she looked at him. Changmin looked really worried, with his eyebrows knitted together. It was obvious he was focused on her. His phone was faced down on the table, showing his light purple phone case with white flowers on them. 

"Wait?" Changmin had his full attention on Mia. But she looked like her mind was elsewhere. She checked for the time a few times during their conversation and she was texting something. Changmin knew it wasn't his place to ask so he didn't. 

"Did Haknyeon tell you my financial situation?" Mia asked. Changmin shook his head. 

"All I know about you is what you tell me, Mia," Changmin answered. Mia nodded slowly, looking like she was thankful Changmin was clueless about a few things in her life. 

"I'm not exactly that poor but it's obvious with my part time work that my family needs money," she started off," My dad's the only one working a full-time job at home. He's a plumber, a contractual job. He didn't go to college, you know, so he went for what my neighborhood needed." Mia continued telling him about her personal life, a life Mia didn't like to share with The Boyz, but she guessed she didn't have a choice. Changmin frowned. This was when he remembered his older sisters clearly. They gave up their dreams because Changmin needed the money to become an idol. Mia's family was similar in a way. They couldn't afford luxuries, even the tuition fees were difficult to earn for. 

It was odd to see Mia telling her story with a sad smile on her face. She was usually sarcastic, and a bit positive in life. She hid her burdens and secrets well. When Changmin saw her removing the mask, even just by a bit, it intrigued him. He thought she was similar to Haknyeon, because they got along well. But their circumstances were different. For the first time, it felt like Mia was more similar to him in a way. 

"If you think I will cry, I won't," Mia looked at Changmin," I lived most of my life this way, so it's normal. Don't worry. I just have to figure all of this myself. After graduating, I'll get work then life will be easier. I can help in funding my sister's education... She doesn't have to think about how to get a scholarship in college."

"Does Hana know you're sacrificing a lot?" 

"Well, she knows of my jobs and I do go home late, so I think so?"

"No, not that, but more than your time? Like other parts of your life?"

Mia put a finger on her lips with a teasing smile. 

"You know as well as I do that there are things we hide from our families," she explained," It's worth it in the end. If she achieves what she wants, that will be the fulfillment of my dreams in a way."

"You remind me of someone, Mia," Changmin relaxed his back on the chair," And I'm not sure if that's good or bad."

"Depends on who that someone is," she shrugged," But I'm sure all of this will get resolved. Nothing lasts forever. My suffering now will be nothing in the future."

The two continued conversing, switching from light topics like Changmin's squabbles with Sunwoo and Mia's adventures with her best friend, Jaehee, to deeper topics like Changmin's struggles with leveling up his performances and Mia's need to pretend in front of her friends that everything was fine. Changmin enjoyed her company. Mia did too. It seemed easier to open up, especially with weeks of talking to each other through Twitter. Was it time to take it a step further? Was it weird for them to ask for each other's number at that point? Would it mean something? They were of opposite sexes. Changmin assumed he was straight. Mia, well, she wasn't straight but she knew she liked men, as well as other genders. Asking the other's numbers would mean then that they had interest in the other, to get to know the other deeper. It was politics within a simple interaction.

Mia coughed, which made Changmin look at her. She offered her phone. 

"You want my number?" Changmin was relieved that she asked first. Mia nodded, rather shyly the idol noticed. He picked her phone up and browsed through her contacts first. Browsing, he meant looking if other members were there. She gave nicknames to every contact she had so it was difficult. Haknyeon's nickname was "Jeju's Son". Changmin guessed Kevin was "Canadian sweetheart," whatever that meant. "LA baby" would be Eric. He couldn't guess if Sangyeon's number was there but if it was, it might be "Simply S." He wondered what kind of nickname Mia would give him. After he punched his number in, he handed her the phone. 

"It's cute that you put in nicknames," Changmin commented. Mia raised an eyebrow. 

"Curious about yours?" she asked. He nodded. She showed him her phone.

"Bite of 98?" Changmin asked. Mia shook her head, saying that he wouldn't understand the reference. 

"It might change though... I think I changed Kevin-oppa's before," her voice trailed off," I think I simply signed it with a heart?"

"Wait, wait, wait," Changmin suddenly was curious," Did you have a crush on Kevin?"

"Hmm," she paused for a moment before nodding once," How can I not? I mean, he looks cute, but further on, realized we wouldn't be okay together."

"Aw, shucks," Changmin snapped his fingers," I could've set you up with him."

"My gay alarm tingles when I'm with him so, I might not be his preferred type."

"You have a gay alarm? How?"

"Gay people have it built in them."

"Built in what?" Changmin connected the dots in his head," You're gay?"

"Shush," Mia slightly panicked and covered Changmin's mouth," I'm bi, okay? As in bisexual. You can google that later."

"Oh.. I'm sorry. I just assumed you were.."

"Straight? I get it all the time," Mia removed her hand from Changmin's lips (technically, his mask). "I do get attracted to males a lot but I get attracted to different types of people. If this conversation is uncomfortable for you, we can stop here."

Changmin shook his head as he lowered his mask. He smiled at her, telling her to continue. Basically, the latter end of their talk was Mia educating Changmin about her sexuality specifically and her experiences being in that orientation. He enjoyed the conversation with Mia enthusiastically answering his questions, questions that even Kevin and Jacob couldn't answer. And it was from a unique point of view. Mia was a female who grew up in South Korea and South Korea was not exactly accepting of her community. Everything was new to Changmin and it excited him. 

When they parted ways, Changmin learned a lot from Mia. And a lot about the society he lived in. He believed he was productive in a way. As he looked back at Mia's shrinking figure, he smiled to himself. Maybe what he was feeling about her wasn't necessarily a bad thing. 


	10. Ten

Mia knew she should tell her friends about The Boyz. What if they found out from another news source? She knew they'll go crazy. Hence, she decided to tell them about their bi-monthly get-together. It was a tradition for their group, which consisted of Jaehee, Byul, and Sena. They should meet up every second and fourth Wednesday of the week. And Wednesday was that day. She felt nervous, telling them she had to confess something important. Sena slightly panicked, maybe thinking it was something awful. Byul was purely curious. And Jaehee was suspicious. 

The frappe Mia had on the table calmed her nerves, even though it did have caffeine in it. She was the first one to arrive in the cafe. It was where they usually studied together if they had the same subjects, like minor ones. Jaehee was a whiz in history, Byul with Math, Sena with anything science, and Mia with languages such as English. The music also helped. She almost forgot about how big this confession was going to be. 

Jaehee soon arrived, around five minutes after Mia got her frappe. Of course, Mia's nerves went on a panic spree. She was most nervous about Jaehee's reaction after all. She was the K-pop person in their group and she was familiar with The Boyz. She couldn't predict how her best friend would react if she told her about Haknyeon and her regular communication with the other members. 

"Baby Mimi!" Jaehee hugged Mia as soon as she went to the table. She then sat next to her. "I'm getting really jealous of the man you're meeting on some Saturdays," Jaehee gave her the look, basically saying in itself 'are you getting laid?' Of course, Mia gave her a frown. Oh god, she wished she was getting laid. 

"My announcement today is not about me getting the v or the d," Mia cleared out. Jaehee looked disappointed and sad for Mia as she patted the latter's back. 

"Maybe that's what you need, honey," she said before standing up," I'm going to order. Anything you want to ask for?"

Mia shook her head while shouting internally 'Some peace in my mind is all I need.' When Jaehee left her, Byul entered the cafe and Sena soon followed after. Both of them apologized for being late, even though 30 minutes had not passed yet, but they were that kind of people. They hated making others wait. Mia pointed at Jaehee in the line, basically telling them to order first before sitting down. When Sena and Byul looked away, Mia panicked even more internally. 

"If only that Juhak didn't talk to me that day," she muttered to herself. She didn't hate her friendship with Haknyeon. It was just that he was a celebrity and having a celebrity friend often meant the public getting to know you. And Mia hated that. She valued privacy. That's why she was more scared than anyone to let the fans know of their friendship, especially when The Boyz were known to be super open to their fans. 

"So, what's the big news?" Byul asked when the trio returned from getting their orders. Mia gestured for them to lean in and they did. She whispered in the tiniest voice she could," The guy I've been hanging out with is Juhaknyeon and I've also been hanging out with his members."

"What?" Jaehee stared at Mia who seemed to be nervous about it. Sena looked like she didn't have a clue who Haknyeon was. Byul looked like she had a guess which was probably correct. While Jaehee obviously knew who Haknyeon was and was completely surprised. 

"Proof," Jaehee requested. Mia showed her pictures of Haknyeon and her during their friendly dates. Obviously, Mia didn't know how to edit photos so Jaehee had no choice but to believe her. 

"Who is this Juhaknyeon guy?" Sena asked. Jaehee explained in the briefest way she could. Haknyeon was a contestant in Produce 101 Season 2 and managed to get into the finals of that show. He was part of The Boyz, originally a 12-member but now an 11-member group, from Cre.ker Entertainment. The Boyz also won Road to Kingdom, Jaehee continued, eyeing Mia who only agreed to what Jaehee was saying. 

"So, a celebrity," Byul muttered," Mia, are you okay with that? We all know you're the most private one out of the four of us."

"And how long have you been with this Haknyeon guy? Wait, and you also hang out with his members?" Jaehee asked. Mia explained her whole history with Haknyeon, explaining this was the Park Hyeon guy she told them about. 

"So you were picked up by him... " Sena covered her mouth," I told you to be careful of strangers, sweetie, even if they are celebrities."

"I know but I like Hak's company a lot," Mia fiddled with her fingers," And I was hoping that you'll be okay with that?"

"Of course we'll be okay with --" Jaehee was cut off by Mia, adding, " And won't tell a soul about Haknyeon being friends with me."

Jaehee knew in her heart that Mia was staring at her. She was meaning her. It was a big deal after all. Mia, Jaehee's best friend, was close friends with Haknyeon, a member of the rising group The Boyz. Though Jaehee was not a fan of the group, she knew they had a reputation and they had lots of brand deals. Mia also knew about this and wanted to make sure Jaehee wouldn't boast about it. Exposing Mia as Haknyeon's friend also means exposing her to the public. With how Mia sometimes behaved, Jaehee knew it was dangerous for her to go on public. 

"Alright," Jaehee sighed, looking at Mia," I won't. But I have the right to meet this Juhak person. I'm your best friend, Mi, I have the right to meet the man you've been meeting."

"Alright," Mia knew she was forced to agree. She looked at Byul's and Sena's faces and they looked like they agreed to the premises. They wouldn't say anything about her friendship with The Boyz. They didn't really care if they were honest. They were too busy with school and Sena especially with org work that she didn't have time to think about like celebrity friendships. 

"And I have another request," Mia raised a finger. Sena raised an eyebrow. 

"Let me guess. The Boyz wants to experience the normal college life so you'll request us to also keep them company?" Sena said. Mia slowly nodded. 

"How'd you guess that?" Byul asked. Sena shrugged. 

"Sometimes, Mia can be pretty predictable," Sena pointed out," So you're that close with them that they can request stuff like that to you?"

"Haknyeon and Eric are," Mia sighed," I couldn't say no. Eric didn't go to college and Haknyeon barely knew his classmates in university. Their same-age friends are almost all idols like them. So they wanted to experience life without special treatment and girls warming up to them."

"Of course we won't warm up to them. We aren't fans," Jaehee shook her head," But if you approve of them, I guess they aren't that bad."

"Is it okay for them though? We usually go out drinking when we're free. Idols shouldn't do that right?" Byul asked, worried. Mia paused for a second then remembering the conversation she had with Haknyeon before. 

"As long as we keep them from being discovered as idols, we're safe," Mia answered," Hak told me they all drank so yeah, we could just warn them beforehand if we wanted to drink."

"So you and this Juhak person aren't dating?"

  
  
  


Changmin honestly wanted to ask Haknyeon about his relationship with Mia. Sure, they've cleared it out before. They didn't want to date each other. But time can change anything. Changmin saw that happen before. He had a couple of friends who ended up dating each other after they graduated high school. So, Haknyeon and Mia dating wasn't impossible in his eyes, which did make him nervous. Why? He sort of realized he wanted to try the dating thing with her. 

He opened up the topic with Chanhee, whom he considered his best friend. Of course, Chanhee was surprised by the topic. Changmin was the last person one would expect to be interested in the affairs of others, especially if it concerned romance, but here they were. And that made Chanhee suspicious. 

"Why are you curious about that?" Chanhee asked, pushing back his pink hair. Changmin avoided the other's eyes for a second. Of course, Chanhee noticed this and raised an eyebrow. Was Changmin really being this shy in front of him? 

"Haknyeonnie did mention before that he was desperate about dating but now, he doesn't pester the maknae line about it anymore," Changmin almost whispered," And it sounds suspicious."

"Maybe he just came to his senses that no one wants to date him or for him to date now," Chanhee replied. Changmin shrugged. "Why not ask either one of them then?" The main vocal asked, tilting his head to see Changmin's facial expression. 

Changmin had his lips pouting a little but he hid that by hugging his knees. His eyes darted from Chanhee to the light bulb which was near to Chanhee's bed because he stayed at the top bunk. Chanhee sighed, lying down on the bed. 

"Wait," Chanhee looked at Changmin," Ji Changmin, is this why you don't bite Haknyeon? Because you're kind of awkward with him possibly being Mia's boyfriend?"

Changmin's eyes widened. Surely, the recent addiction to biting was... He did spare Haknyeon. Sunwoo was his main victim, especially that they roomed together. But he also bit the other 98z and the maknae line, except Kevin and Haknyeon, who were both possibly Mia's romantic interests. Kevin was her crush before and she might have done what she could to get closer to him, while Haknyeon was the member closest to Mia. 

"Kevin too," Chanhee noted," I noticed Mia's tweets about Kevin were usually praising him more than us. Suspicious?"

"She had a crush on Kev before," Changmin mentioned passively. Chanhee couldn't really ask him more because he knew it wasn't Changmin's place to tell him about that. Chanhee sighed. Changmin seemed a bit reserved about telling him what he really felt. 

The pink-haired boy decided to just ask in Changmin's place. It wasn't suspicious anyway to clear out their relationship, especially with their weekly or sometimes monthly meetings with each other. But of course, he wouldn't tell Changmin that. He would let his same-age friend figure that out himself. 

Chanhee also decided to switch up the topic, asking Changmin about his last trip home. Fortunately, Changmin gladly did tell him. Meanwhile, Chanhee was on his phone, texting Mia. That was what Changmin didn't notice when he browsed Mia's contacts. Chanhee was there. It's just that his name was "Tiny Choi." 

  
  


Mia's phone vibrated in her pocket. She was at university, filing paperwork for her scholarship. She, of course, needed to file for her scholarship every semester. That was so bothersome for her but she had no choice. At least Sena and Byul were with her, filing theirs. Jaehee already left for her organization meeting since she was part of their university's art org. Anyways, passing the documents was fairly easy, especially because she had been a scholar for the past two academic years and she hadn't screwed up once. 

After talking to her dean's secretary, she opened her phone. It was a text from Chanhee, asking her how she had been. She hadn't talked to Chanhee in a while. They do get along and he did visit her every other week, but because Chanhee was the type to stay at home, they couldn't meet outside often. They mainly interacted through tweets, and that included them reacting to other members' shenanigans. So it wasn't completely out of Chanhee's character to text her. 

Mia figured to tell him that she was slightly stressed because of the whole enrollment procedure for students, but otherwise, she felt the usual. She asked how he was too, and she heard from Haknyeon that Chanhee managed to bag an OST for a new web drama. After chit-chatting about themselves, Chanhee suddenly asked a question that was sort-of outside his jurisdiction. And Mia had to read it aloud to herself when she saw it. 

"Are Hak and I dating?" 

She was lucky no one was near enough to hear her. But she heard herself. She laughed at the idea. Sure, Haknyeon met with her often but both of them already dismissed the idea of dating. They were too alike and too different at the same time. They clashed a lot, especially when it comes to how they viewed themselves. Haknyeon was so confident of himself and he had the skills to prove that confidence. Mia was usually insecure of herself and avoided any compliments directed at her like the plague. 

But she wanted to play around with Chanhee at the same time. Saying the truth to him wouldn't be any fun. So she decided to give him a vague answer, basically pushing the responsibility for the answer to Haknyeon himself. Chanhee, of course, replied in such a way that he needed Mia's side of the story. When she asked why he asked, Chanhee also gave a vague answer. Someone was curious. When Mia asked who, Chanhee said it wasn't his place to tell. 

"Good luck with that," Mia shrugged as she whispered to herself. She hid her phone in her pocket, not wanting to answer any questions about dating from Chanhee. 

"Haknyeon-ah!" Chanhee shouted from his bunk bed. It had been an hour or so since Changmin left. He was sure Changmin went to the dance studio for the moment, so he had plenty of time to interrogate Haknyeon. But of course, the younger member did not answer to his calling. People living in that dorm really love playing deaf. Chanhee had no choice but to climb down his bed and to go to wherever Haknyeon was. 

And Haknyeon was in the living room, watching the news, with his belly out, and eating chips in a bowl. He looked at Chanhee who looked messy himself, with his grey hoodie and jogging pants and unkempt hair. Haknyeon sat up and lowered the volume on the TV. 

"I called you," Chanhee threw one of the throw pillows at Haknyeon. 

"I know," Haknyeon avoided the older's eyes. He swore that if Chanhee started nagging at him about listening to the elders, he'd shut him up with throwing a pillow. 

"I won't get mad because," Chanhee sat by Haknyeon's feet," I am curious about something."

"If that's about how I managed to order pizza without any of the other members knowing, I'm not telling," Haknyeon said. Chanhee rolled his eyes. This one was also a dumb one sometimes. 

"Everyone knew you ate the pizza in the lobby, Hak. We were just too embarrassed to say we knew you," Chanhee confessed.

"Sure," Haknyeon sounded sarcastic. He handed Chanhee the bowl of chips which the latter accepted, starting to eat some of it too. "Anyway, what's bothering you?" Haknyeon asked. 

"Mia," Chanhee paused, waiting for Haknyeon's reaction. But he didn't. He was still silent and eating the chips. "Are you two going out?"

"Going out... You mean..?" When Haknyeon realized what Chanhee met, he burst into laughter," Where'd you get that rumor? Who'd want to date Lee Mia, a workaholic, eataholic, and terrible time manager?"

All Chanhee could think of was 'Oh, you'd be surprised.' But he preferred not to blow Changmin's cover before he realized it himself. "Maybe you would be interested. You do spend awfully a lot of time together," he answered instead. 

"Because we're friends, hyung. Do you not have friends?" Haknyeon raised an eyebrow," I don't assume you and Younghoon-hyung date despite spending a lot of time together. Same goes with you and Changmin-hyung, and Kevin-hyung and Jacob-hyung."

"Still, Hak. Mia's an outsider compared to us," Chanhee explained," So we, the other members, do not know what you do on these meetups."

"You can come with, if you want," Haknyeon offered," She wouldn't really care. We usually just aggressively compliment each other though and rave about food."

"No, I trust you won't fuck up. But of course," Chanhee handed back the bowl of chips," Just be careful."

"Mia's an important friend at this point. I don't want to lose her anyway," Haknyeon reassured the older member," Also, I think she still has a crush on Kevin-hyung so there's that."

Chanhee's ears perked up. In his opinion, Mia was not the type to have a crush on someone. And Kevin? Their local golden hand? He seemed like he was such a workaholic, more than Mia if he was honest, that Mia didn't stand a chance in front of Kevin's passion for work. 

"Since when?" Chanhee remembered Changmin didn't want to dive into details about Mia's feelings for Kevin but Haknyeon seemed to be more willing. 

"Since I showed her his picture. He said he was cute," Haknyeon shrugged," But she also cleared out like... She likes hyung as a member of The Boyz? Like how our fans view us. You know they aren't that serious about crushing on us. That's how Mia feels about hyung. I think she even attends the Vlives hyung does."

Chanhee was amused. Changmin was worrying about the wrong man. Haknyeon really appeared as her friend, while he described their friendship. It was the top bunk, Changmin's roommate, Kevin. Chanhee never guessed Kevin and Mia talked a lot but he guessed they kind of did? Kevin was planning to go back to college the next school year, after watching Haknyeon balance his career and college for two years. Aside from that, Chanhee was sure Changmin did not know about the other people in Mia's life. Only her family and her best friend, whom Mia called Hee. It was confusing for Chanhee at first when she talked about her best friend but he soon got used to it. 

"Ah!" Haknyeon snapped his fingers," Mia did mention once that someone treated her awfully well."

"Who?" Chanhee asked. Haknyeon told her about the brother of one of Mia's friends. He was studying at another university since Mia's was a women's university. But because Mia was close to that friend, whom Haknyeon called Byul, she also sometimes hung out with the brother, whom he called Taeyang. The names were familiar. Soon, Chanhee realized they were also active in replying to Mia's tweets. 

"Anyway, why are you asking? Want me to set you up with her?" Haknyeon teasingly asked," I don't want to date anymore, to be honest. I know the feeling of love before. But Mia? I want her to go through love! I want to see her in love."

"Won't she be the same in love?" 

Haknyeon paused before shaking his head. 

"Hyung, I'm sure she won't. I've been observing her and asking about her love life and I can assume she won't be the same in love," he explained, putting a handful of chips into his mouth," That's why I want to set her up. Eric's helping me find a potential lover for her."

"Even including your members?"

"Well, we are all thirsty for affection here, especially Changmin-hyung in my opinion. He's been seeking for attention non-stop. I mean... The biting and fighting with Sunwoo?"

"He's just going through a rough patch, Hak," Chanhee sighed. Changmin's mood swings were very bad. Maybe it was the fatigue and stress of their schedules. He wasn't really able to go home recently too. He missed his dog. He missed his mom and older sisters. He missed home in general. The Boyz did their best to make each other feel like home but when push came to shove, Changmin wanted his family. He was the closest to his family after all. 

"Maybe... You can set up Changmin and Mia?"

  
  


Mia sneezed. She figured that someone was talking about her. Either that or she was not feeling well. At least she didn't have a shift on that day, so she had time to chill out with her friends. It was odd, but Eric tagged along too because he wanted to feel what college was like. 

It was weird for Mia to see them all interact. There was Eric, a world-renowned K-pop idol who was younger than them. There was Jaehee, her best friend who hated men with a passion, except Cha Eunwoo. There was Byul, her clumsy friend she met in their scholarship organization. There was Taeyang, Byul's brother who went to another university. And there was Sena, Mia's mother figure in university. Seeing them all together was a spectacle. And it was even weirder than the time she met The Boyz for the first time. 

"Noona," Eric clung to her like the child he was," Did Hak-hyung already meet your friends?"

"Not yet... But he did encourage me to tell them about our friendship. That's why you're able to walk around with us now," Mia answered. Jaehee raised an eyebrow when she noticed the skinship happening between the two, remembering then that Eric grew up in America. Things were different in America so she let it pass. 

"Anyway, Eric-ssi," Byul peeked at the blonde boy," Why do you want to hang out with us? We're just normal students, out to get some ice cream."

"I miss the student life, noona! We've been working nonstop," Eric sighed," Like yesterday, we had a photoshoot for a brand deal. The day after tomorrow, we'll have a meeting with our manager for our activities next week."

"Reminds me of how busy our pre-med life is," Sena elbowed Taeyang. They were after all the only people in the group who were planning to be doctors. Taeyang wanted to be a practicing pharmacist but he also wanted to be a doctor specializing in Oriental Medicine. Sena wanted to be a Public Health specialist, as well as a doctor sent to rural places to serve those in need. 

"College life is also a handful, Ricky boy," Jaehee hummed. Mia was surprised by the sudden nickname but Eric seemed to like it. He loosened his grip on Mia's arm and turned to Jaehee who continued," I wonder how that Haknyeon guy manages his time."

"Hyung..." Eric paused, thinking about it. Haknyeon already sent a letter to his dean about his situation as an idol and there were other idols who graduated from that university. Eric told them how frequent Haknyeon would bring handouts to their schedules and questions he had about music, which was his major, to Kevin and Jacob. Sometimes, he asked Chanhee for some help too.

"Don't you envy Haknyeon-ssi a bit, Eric-ssi?" Byul asked. With her height, Eric thought, she could be considered as a middle school student, but of course, he didn't say that out loud. 

"A bit, maybe? But life's already exciting with the other members. You can't really guess which direction our interactions go!" Eric excitedly said, almost swinging Mia in the process. Mia agreed with that sentiment. According to Haknyeon, they sometimes placed bets on who would win the arguments in the dorm. Aside from that, there were mood swings among the members. Recently, it was Changmin having the worst mood swings. Sometimes, it was Chanhee. Other times, it was Sunwoo. Life was really hectic with eleven grown men living together. 

"Are you really okay with hanging out with us though? We might go out and drink," Sena pointed out. They were all of age after all, and Mia was practically free for the whole day. She could drink as much as she wanted to without thinking of her upcoming shift. Eric looked uneasy with the question and scratched the back of his neck. 

"As if that's uncommon with idols these days!" Jaehee commented," You know the 97 liners of K-pop right? They go to Itaewon, our local club and gay district! What's bad about Eric coming with us if he can legally drink?"

"It's a matter of image, Hee," Mia replied to her best friend," The Boyz are sometimes treated as children, especially our baby Eric here. He might get a scandal."

Jaehee rolled her eyes before holding on to Eric's shoulder. Basically, she was telling him that it was his decision. If he didn't want to go drinking, he could just go home earlier than the rest of the group. If he wanted to, he could experience what it was like to drink in college, with college buddies. 

"Call."

With that one word, Jaehee knew she got what she wanted. 

  
  


It was 12 AM. 

Sangyeon thought it was odd that Eric had not arrived home yet. He knew that the maknae was with Mia and he trusted her, but he couldn't avoid getting worried about his whereabouts. Mia did text him before that they'd go drinking in a hidden pub one of her friends knew. He just wished Eric knew his limits when it came to drinking. 

"If you're that worried, call Eric's phone," Jaehyun said. He was tired of watching Sangyeon pace in their living room. He was getting distracted by the constant steps. He had to focus on his gaming after all. Sangyeon snapped his fingers, as if Jaehyun gave the most genius idea, and attempted to call Eric. 

"Hello?"

Sangyeon could hear the Korean RnB playing in the background. He could also hear Mia's voice from the other line, seemingly telling her group of friends about an ex she had. Eric finally spoke up, after Mia finished her story. 

"Hyung," Sangyeon thought Eric sounded a little tipsy," Mia-noona is a wild girl! She's been drinking double of what I'm drinking!"

Sangyeon glanced at Jaehyun, basically telling him 'do you hear this bullshit?' The latter member shrugged before gesturing for Sangyeon to hand him the phone. And the leader did. 

"Youngjae-ah," Jaehyun started," Can you commute home? If you can't, hyung can come to get you."

"Eric's a big boy! I can handle myself," Eric was almost slurring his words. "Noona, you're heavy," Jaehyun heard Eric whine, assuming he was pushing Mia off of him. 

"Are the adults with you able to go home by themselves? " Jaehyun asked. Eric then listed the people they were with and their current condition. Mia was drunk and she was the happy-go-lucky clingy drunk. Byul was a strong drinker and her brother, Taeyang was the same. Sena was taking care of Jaehee who was the sleepy drunk. Basically, they went on pairs. It's just that both Mia and Eric drank more than they should've. 

Jaehyun sighed, telling Sangyeon of their situation. The oldest member took Jaehyun's phone and asked their manager if he could use his car. This was a personal matter after all. They could get in trouble if they used the company van. 

"Text me where the place is. Sangyeon-hyung will come to get you," Jaehyun told the youngest member. Eric hummed a bit before asking "What about noona? Noona looks like she'll--"

"I can take her home, " Sangyeon took the phone from Jaehyun after getting the go-signal from their manager," I'll take Haknyeon with me because he knows where she lives."

"No, no," Sangyeon was surprised to hear Mia whine from the other line," Hak should be... Resting like the baby pig he is! Don't bring hmm.."

"Then who should I bring, Mia?" Sangyeon used a gentler tone with her," Would you be okay with Changmin? I need to bring him home from the company anyway."

"Hmm," Mia sounded like she was thinking," Okay! But I hope he won't scare me. Oppa can be very scawy like he has scary masks and dolls and.."

"Mhm, Mia. I'll make sure Q won't scare you," Sangyeon reassured her. Mia thanked Sangyeon with a cheerful tone and Sangyeon assumed she handed the phone back to Eric. 

"Hyung, you know what to.. prepare tomorrow? This is gonna be one bad hangover," Eric warned the older member about his condition. Sangyeon knew Eric was an adult but he couldn't believe he let himself go wild on the drinking. Life had been stressful for all of them. That's why they had alcohol in the fridge, in case anyone needed a few drinks to relax. But Eric went out with college people to drink. Sangyeon knew what people in their early 20s are capable of. They were like highschoolers but with more money and looser parents. 

After Sangyeon hung up, he told Jaehyun about the situation. He also went out of his way to tell Chanhee, because he was Eric's roommate. He should be prepared to handle tipsy Eric. Jacob and Kevin overheard the news and promised each other never to tell Eric's mom about what happened. 

"So what about Mia?" Haknyeon asked when he overheard from the kitchen," Will she be okay?"

"She specifically said not to bring you," Sangyeon said," So I'll have Juyeon and Changmin help me instead. I'll pass by the company then go to where they are."

"Why did she say she didn't want to see me?"

"She didn't say that. She just didn't want to disturb you in your studies, Nyeon," Sangyeon answered," You have a special term because of how busy we were. You should catch up on your lessons."

"I'll just text you the address if that's the case," Haknyeon scrambled for his phone," and I'll tell her sister to wait for her."

"You have her sister's number?" Sangyeon sounded surprised. Haknyeon shrugged, thinking it was normal to have Hana's number. Hana was a pretty chill person, minus when she's gone all ARMY mode on them. Otherwise, Hana is a calm headed lady. 

"Hana will be waiting by the entrance of their apartment complex," Haknyeon said once he got her reply," And she already informed their father about this so Mia's pretty good to go."

"You sound like you're used to taking care of a drunk Mia," Sangyeon raised an eyebrow. 

"Let's just say she can be a handful," Haknyeon placed his phone on the table," Just be prepared. She can get extra clingy. She might tell you she loves you and she might cry in the middle of it too."

"Doesn't she know how to control herself?"

"She doesn't know her limit," the younger member shrugged," I also told Hana that Changmin-hyung will take her. Mia is closer to Changmin-hyung compared to the other members you'll bring and Eric is a bit drunk."

"Alright," Sangyeon ruffled Haknyeon's hair before saying goodbye. He told Jacob and Younghoon that they were in charge while he and Jaehyun were out. He also reminded Sunwoo to behave. He didn't want Sunwoo to play tricks on Eric when the maknae was not in the right mind. 

After passing by their manager's place, which was just a few blocks away from their dorm, Sangyeon and Jaehyun were off to Cre.ker first, with the oldest member driving the car. The conversation in the car was mostly Jaehyun ranting about how Eric should've controlled himself and how Mia, being the older one, should've reminded Eric about his alcohol tolerance. All Sangyeon could do was nod. It was true. It was very irresponsible of both of them but both of them were young. They do tend to do stupid things sometimes. Heck, even Chanhee was sometimes found overdrinking in their dorm. 

Sangyeon stopped by the front of their company. He spotted Juyeon and Changmin waiting by the entrance. Their hair was so wet due to the dance training they did. Once the two spotted the familiar vehicle, they headed to it. The pair quickly went to the second row of the car and asked Sangyeon what happened. And of course, Jaehyun was the one to tell them everything. Sangyeon was too busy avoiding accidents. 

"So Eric's drunk with Mia's crew?" Juyeon asked, visibly surprised. Drunk Eric was a rare occurrence but he saw it before but the responsible Mia he knew of? Sure, he wasn't that close to Mia compared to the other members but he guessed she didn't like drinking because of how busy she could be. It wasn't a logical reason, sure, but that was how Juyeon understood her image. 

"And Hak basically pushed on me the burden of taking care of drunk Mia while going to her place?" Changmin reconfirmed it. With how Jaehyun described the situation and Haknyeon's text, he was unsure how to approach the drunk her. These days, he didn't even know how to approach the sober her. But he guessed he had no choice. He figured it could be fun to tease the drunk her or spook her a little but Sangyeon already told him that Mia didn't want to be with Changmin if he was going to spook her. He had an ongoing debate within him whether to scare her or not. 

The car soon stopped in front of a small alleyway with its size not fit for the car. Sangyeon asked Jaehyun and Juyeon to go fetch the two since they were stronger than Changmin and Sangyeon had to watch the car from being towed. And they both agreed. Jaehyun did have the information as to where the pub was found. 

The two found it rather quickly, with the LED sign signaling that it was the right place. They went into the pub, of course, concealing their identities. Luckily, only a handful of people were there and there was only one table that was noisy. Both knew it was Mia and Eric's table. 

"Eric-ah! Hakkie and I aren't dating at all! I don't like him," Mia said, getting another shot of soju. Sena wanted to stop her from drinking but Taeyang did mention that Mia needed to get loose. The semester did end just a few weeks ago and with the new semester approaching, Mia deserved some down time, even if it meant drunk Mia. 

"But you and hyung..." Eric raised his two hands and clapped," are this perfect! You go out a lot and you... You're the same age!"

"Ricky boy, Mia has a type," Jaehee said with her head on Byul's shoulder," I don't approve of them to be honest. Her exes are trash! Like the women she dated before? Even those!"

"But hyung is a man! University man!" Eric countered. Jaehee pouted, sliding another shot to the youngest person in the group. 

"Even more reason for her not to date that Juhak person. It's a man!" she proclaimed. Sena covered Jaheee's mouth before she could continue her man-hate speech again. They always listened to it when they had drinking sessions and most of them already memorized it by heart. Sena wanted to protect Eric from that speech so she did what she needed. 

Jaehyun knew he should interrupt them at that point but he was interested as to how Mia did view Haknyeon. She was, after all, picked up by Haknyeon just a few months ago. At that time, they were hanging out more than most couples would do, considering how busy the pair was. It was suspicious at that point. Of course, Haknyeon was free to date whoever he wanted, but Jaehyun was invested because Haknyeon introduced this woman to them without saying they were dating. Months passed and still nothing. Mia already grew close to the other members, especially Eric, Changmin, and Chanhee, but he heard nothing from them except that Kevin might be her bias. 

"Jae-hyung," Juyeon whispered," We should take them already. I want to sleep." 

Jaehyun had no choice but to nod. Juyeon and Changmin were out most of the day at that point. They deserved rest and so, Jaehyun approached the table and introduced himself to Mia's friends. Their reactions were rather warm, except for Jaehee who was glaring at him, but Jaehyun assumed it was because he was a man. 

"Please take the two," Byul gestured to both Mia and Eric who were still having their own arguments about Haknyeon. Jaehyun rolled his eyes, seeing that he had to deal with two children. Eric was usually more mature than Jaehyun but if there was alcohol involved, Eric was more sensitive. The maknae usually took care of everyone well, even when they were having their drinking sessions, but he let go of himself that night. 

Juyeon offered his hand for Mia, who looked to be the one with the weaker sense of balance, and she gladly took it, pulling herself up. It was odd touching Mia's hand, especially with how few times they interacted, but it wasn't a big thing. Although, Eric thought it was and also held Juyeon's forearm. 

"Hyung," Eric whined. Juyeon chuckled at the childishness Eric displayed and pulled him up too. Eric was able to balance himself on his two feet. He was kind of sober after all. Mia, on the other hand, was drunker and needed Juyeon to hold her on both of her shoulders so she could stand on her feet. She showed a goofy smile at Juyeon before she smiled at her friends. 

"Good night... Mia has to go sleepy because she has work tomorrow," she waved at them, which earned a small chuckle from Taeyang. 

"Take care of yourself, Mia," he then turned to the pair of sober members," And good luck with that."

Jaehyun didn't understand what was so bad with drunk Mia. So far, after their farewell greetings and while they were walking towards the car, Mia was not that annoying. She didn't have the worst drunk habits in his opinion. She just kept smiling at the men she was with and telling Juyeon how handsome he was and that he had enormous hands. 

Once they reached the car was when chaos ensued. As soon as Juyeon opened the door, Changmin let out a small "boo" with his Annabelle picture exactly in front of Mia's eyes. Of course, the poor girl screamed and clung to Juyeon. She was even calling out to her sister. 

"Yah, Changmin, I said no scaring," Sangyeon called him out. Changmin rolled his eyes and laughed at the trembling Mia. Mia glared at him when she realized it wasn't real and stuck to Juyeon. 

"I hate you now," Mia stuck out her tongue. She then wrapped her arm around Juyeon's. "As a punishment, Juju will be my new guardian and I will tell Hakkie about it."

"Mia.." Juyeon sounded awkward but he let her do what she wanted. Anyway, she wasn't doing much harm. When they all were in the car though, Mia was beside Changmin, since the sober members should be seated near the doors. The sitting arrangement was as follows from left to right: Changmin, Mia, Eric, Juyeon. Jaehyun still stayed in the passenger seat. 

Though Mia was pretty mad at Changmin, like how a 3-year-old could be mad at an adult, she still rested her head on his shoulder. Eric was out cold on Juyeon's lap anyway. Changmin was used to this since she was the kind of person who loved skinship. But what Changmin wasn't used to is her sputtering nonsense about her existential crisis and the existence of aliens. 

"I cannot believe you are a flat earther but you don't believe in aliens, oppa," Mia muttered. Changmin shrugged. 

"Isn't that scarier than ghosts? Aliens?" He asked her," And we don't know the world well to say it is round... "

"Oh, you're just fooling me," Mia pouted, facing him. Their faces were just inches apart but none of them were that flustered. All Changmin could think about was how bad Mia smelled and all Mia could think about was how dumb Changmin could get. She narrowed her eyes at him. 

"Maybe Channie-oppa and Kev-oppa would be better to talk to than you," she poked his nose. Changmin frowned before he decided to pinch her arm. She, of course, didn't like that and the pair started to annoy each other whichever way they could. The challenge was basically not to wake Eric up. But Eric wasn't easy to wake up, so it wasn't much of a challenge. 

"You two, stop being children," Sangyeon scolded them, eyeing them from the rearview mirror. Changmin understood that Sangyeon meant business but with Mia's drunken stupor, she couldn't process how serious Sangyeon was, and instead of stopping, she bent herself towards the middle of the driver's and passenger's seat. 

"But I.. We're part of the youth, oppa, hence we are.. We can? Be children," Mia reasoned, smiling in a silly way that Jaehyun couldn't avoid but laugh at her. He would've taken a video of her at that moment. He was sure Haknyeon was the only member to see her this drunk before. She glanced at Jaehyun and grinned at him," Oppa, have you always been that handsome?"

Jaehyun was, of course, not surprised by the sudden compliment. Haknyeon did warn them about Mia's tendency to be clingy and affectionate when drunk. But what he didn't expect was for her to continue," Have I been surrounded by handsome men this whole time? I've been used to pretty women because girls in my uni are soooo pretty but men? Handsome men are as rare as legendary pokemon. Oppa? Do you know Pokemon? Of course, you do! You are a gamer, after all. All gamers should know what pokemon is."

Changmin sensed that Jaehyun needed help dealing with her. She was so different from the Mia Jaehyun was used to. Mia often adjusted her energy according to whoever she was talking to. And that meant her energy with Jaehyun often depended if he was in the mood to be an older member or the maknae, so during this older member period he had, Mia's energy was overwhelming. But Changmin was amused with how Jaehyun looked like. He was nodding awkwardly with his lips in a polite smile and his eyebrows scrunched together. It was the face of a man who was facing something he was totally annoyed with but at the same time, too shy to tell off. 

"Miaaa," Changmin called her when she started ruffling Jaehyun's hair. He was sure if Mia took a step further, it would make Jaehyun snap at her, which would only make Mia cry. God, Changmin hated drunk Mia if she was always like this. A child necessarily. The woman-child turned to him and settled on her seat. She raised an eyebrow before looking at Changmin's face closely. 

"I never realized you were handsome, oppa," she said. And Changmin couldn't believe he heard that from her. So, this was the first time Mia thought of him as a handsome idol? What did she think about him before that? 

"You don't know I'm handsome?" Changmin asked. Mia shook her head before cracking another one of her silly smiles. 

"Look at you! You're getting mad!" Mia teased, pointing at him. Juyeon couldn't help but laugh at what Mia was doing to his same-age friend. She poked him where any idol could be sensitive with except if they were immensely confident in how they looked like. 

"What if I was mad, Mia?" Changmin raised an eyebrow. Mia suddenly shrank in her seat but with the rush of adrenaline, she had her back straight, still looking him in the eye. "You've been such an annoying child this car ride and I'm tired with my practice," he added, putting his face near her face. Mia was suddenly speechless. And she felt flustered. 

"I'm not afraid of... you, oppa! And I know stuff like this won't make you mad! I've seen Sunwoo do worse!" she bravely replied. Changmin stretched his neck, just asserting his dominance over her. He was way taller than her, drunk Mia realized. He also had this blank stare at that point which kind of freaked her out. 

"Are you sure, Mia..?" Changmin looked down on her. If Mia ever felt scared in her life, it was at that moment. 

"Changmin?" Sangyeon called him to make him stop but he knew once Changmin started this kind of episode, he wouldn't stop," Just don't make her cry. Hak's really protective of her."

"Mhm," Changmin tilted his head then pulled on Mia's ear like a mother would do to her child," Why can't you be a drunk like Eric? Look! He's sleeping like a baby while you're chattering like a kindergartner and kindergartners are cute! But you're annoying."

"Aw, that hurts," Mia pouted. She heard Juyeon mutter about her being lucky that he didn't bite her, mainly because she was a girl. But feeling Changmin's tug on her ear made her think otherwise. She'd prefer a momentary bite over the agony of Changmin pulling her ear more and more. 

"Will you shut up? I hate noisy people who are out of their place with their noisiness, Mia," Changmin asked, rather devilishly. Mia slowly nodded, holding on his wrist to stop him from pulling her ear more. "Promise?" Changmin tried to confirm and she did with a nod. He loosened the grip on her and slouched on the car seat. 

"Are we almost there yet, hyung?" Juyeon asked, caressing the head of still-asleep Eric. Sangyeon gave a nod as an answer, pointing at the GPS in the front. 

"Changmin, you still have to bring her home," Jaehyun reminded the main dancer. Changmin rolled his eyes, hoping Mia would be a bit soberer or have a better walking balance than she did when she entered the car. 

"Mia will behave now, oppa," Mia said in a smaller voice, the smallest Changmin ever heard her. He admitted that it was cute. Drunk Mia can be cute, but she can also be annoying. Changmin didn't want to take that chance. But at least, drunk Mia was scared of making him annoyed. Yes, he wasn't really mad. He was only annoyed. It would take a lot to anger Ji Changmin. His family taught him better than to flail his anger all around. 

"Alright, want to nap a bit before we arrive home?" Changmin asked her. Mia nodded. He offered her his shoulder but she refused, saying that her head felt heavy and he might not be strong enough to carry a heavy head on his shoulder. She adjusted how she sat and put her head on the headrest, slowly putting herself to sleep by singing herself a childish lullaby. Changmin thought it was adorable. She looked like a 3-year-old tucking herself to sleep. 

Minutes later, they finally arrived at Mia's apartment complex, but they couldn't really enter the area. The entrance was too small for a car to fit. Only people, motorcycles, and bicycles were allowed into the premises. Hence, it was Changmin's time to babysit Mia alone. But it wasn't too bad. It was only around a five-minute walk and Hana would be there to help them once they're near enough. 

Changmin went out of the car first, offering his hand to Mia. Drunk Mia tilted her head before giving her hand to Changmin. 

"Oppa, you look like a prince?" She said shyly," A giraffe prince."

"Say goodbye to the hyungs first before you say nonsense," Changmin told her. So she did as she was told. Mia turned to the other members, giving them individual hugs. What surprised them was that she gave the sleeping Eric a kiss on the cheek as if it was nothing. 

"Eric loves being babied sometimes because he is a baby!" Mia clapped her hands and stopped when she remembered Changmin was outside, waiting for her. "Oh right, sorry, oppa," she turned to the main dancer, removing herself from the car. 

"Hurry up. Your sister's waiting," Changmin pulled her towards him. Of course, Mia's walking was wobbly. She needed to get close to him if she didn't want to hurt herself. They were lucky that the place didn't have a lot of people out. Even if there were a few, they were all elderly who seemed to only pay attention to themselves. 

"Oppa, does Hakkie really look like my boyfriend?" Mia suddenly asked, wobbling like a newborn pig. "I mean, I do tweet about him sometimes when we eat out but that's what friends do... And he's been going on and on about wanting a girlfriend. I want a significant other too, you know! I want to date. Deep inside... That's what I want to do."

"That's new," Changmin whistled. Mia never expressed any thoughts about dating before. If she did, it would be about how she wasn't ready or how she didn't have time to do that. To be honest, Changmin told her the same thing. Rather than being not ready though, he knew he didn't have the time to date. He wanted to practice more and more. He wanted to improve for their fans. He wouldn't admit this to anybody, but he would be okay if he dated Mia. He had thoughts about dating her at the back of his mind, but he knew it wouldn't be a good thing for both of them to date. It would only mean a lack of time. 

"New? Don't you see my efforts?" Mia asked, tilting her head. Before Changmin could respond to that, he heard Hana's voice from the entrance, just as Jaehyun told them before. 

"Ah, eonni!" Hana groaned," You're drunk again! I hate it when you get drunk!" She was wearing her pajamas already and was covered with a blanket. She ran to the pair and took Mia from Changmin, saying "I'm sorry that she could be such a handful. I'll tell eonni to text the other members she bothered. I already told her not to drink too much. I'm sorry."

"It's okay!" Changmin reassured her. Hana looked a bit panicked. It seemed like drunk Mia was also unwelcomed in the Lee household. Mia pouted when she was separated from Changmin at first but when she recognized her baby sister, she hugged the poor thing tightly. 

"Hana! My little flower, my only one," Mia mused. Hana rolled her eyes, knowing that Mia was trying to use all the puns the word "hana" can give her. 

"Before that, thank the kind man for escorting you here," Hana managed to push her sister away. Mia tried to stand straight and bowed at Changmin. 

"I'm sorry for the bother and thank you for the ride home. Please tell that to Sangie-oppa, Jae-oppa, Juju-oppa, and baby Eric," she said in a voice unlike drunk Mia but also not completely sober Mia," Also please tell Hakkie I am okay and he need not worry about me." 

After Hana apologized once again for Mia's conduct, the Lee sisters fumbled into the building while Changmin was watching them go. He noticed Mia waving at him cheerfully before she disappeared into the elevator. He walked back to the car, thinking of what efforts Mia meant. She was consciously making efforts to date? Date who exactly? The only person that came in mind was Haknyeon but she already cleared out they were only friends. And then there was this other guy in her life, Taeyang. She always mentioned him in passing but she didn't look like she cared for him more than as her friend's brother. He thought about the women in her life next. It couldn't be Sena because Sena was taken. Jaehee was her best friend and it seems like their friendship wouldn't change. Byul could be the person she was romantically interested in, except Mia always described Byul as a daughter. Changmin sighed. He knew sober Mia wouldn't give him answers. He just hoped he'd notice what efforts she meant. 

As soon as Changmin got into the car, Eric woke up. He asked where they were and Juyeon gave a rundown of what happened, even the goodbye kiss drunk Mia gave on his cheek. The maknae held his cheek and turned slightly pink. He was sort of sober at that point and the hangover wasn't taking effect yet. He could only process a bit at a time and his brain chose to process the kiss on the cheek. 

"Drunk noona really is different," Eric whispered to himself, quiet enough for Changmin to hear it. 

"I thought you two loved skinship?" Changmin asked. Eric nodded before explaining that he bugged Mia about greeting him with a kiss in the past since it was the American way. Of course, he was only teasing her whenever he did. So, it was way out of her character to do that. Changmin raised an eyebrow, obviously intrigued as to what was released when alcohol loosened Mia's inhibitions. 

"She's that repressed," Jaehyun commented out loud," I told her before to loosen up! She told me to get lost." 

"Very her," Sangyeon laughed," She's really becoming our little sister."

"Oh yeah, I'm the only one here with a younger sibling," Juyeon pointed out. All of them had older sisters, especially Changmin who had two. Juyeon was the lone older sibling with one younger brother. "So the feeling's pretty new?"

"I've been treating you as my brothers but having a younger sister is different," Sangyeon answered," I mean, she does pack a punch sometimes but she's a sweet girl."

"Hak would kill us if we tried to argue with her," Jaehyun added," Maybe the reason why he's good at dealing with her is the fact he has like an older and a younger sister?"

"And maybe that's why Changmin is good at dealing with her too," Juyeon added, caressing the head of the, again, sleeping Eric," He also has two sisters."

"Mmm, maybe," Changmin thought for a second," If this is the feeling of having a younger sister that's close to my age, I don't want it."

"What? Why?" Sangyeon looked at Changmin for a second before focusing back on the road. 

"I'd probably make her cry a lot," Changmin said as he looked out the window," I mean... I made Sunwoo cry a couple of times."

"We all made Sunwoo cry a couple of times!" Jaehyun commented," He just reacts like that when you scare or surprise him."

"Cobbie-hyung does feel guilty about making Woo cry on his birthday," Juyeon remembered. Even their fans remember that time clearly though they had no clue what really happened that night. Deobis would kill them if they saw the extent they went just to fool Sunwoo that the group was really falling apart. To be honest, even Juyeon would be fooled by Sangyeon's and Changmin's acting skills. 

"Anyway, I don't want a sister like her," Changmin said again. Mia did have some qualities that reminded him of the Ji sisters and she had some that reminded him of himself, but at the same time, Mia was someone different. He thought of her as special and it would be weird to feel this way to a sister. 

"I'd like one like her. Maybe I should hang out with her more?" Jaehyun thought out loud. 

"Be careful. Again, we have Hak as her gatekeeper. You don't want him to be jealous of you spending too much time with her," Juyeon reminded him," Why did I think again that they were dating? He acts more like her older brother."

"Same," Changmin muttered. Haknyeon kept confirming again and again that Mia was nothing more than his best friend and he would rather be caught dead than dating her. Changmin wasn't sure why Haknyeon was so against dating Mia, but he guessed it was to his advantage if ever he planned on dating her. 

"It's because they go on friendly dates and they aren't ashamed of calling them dates," Sangyeon reasoned," It's like they're almost dating but they stopped trying at some point? It's like a vague relationship that only the two of them understand. I mean, have we ever asked them seriously what they thought of each other?"

"Hmm, it isn't really our business to do that," Juyeon pointed out," It's their relationship."

"At this point, we're also friends with Mia, Ju," Sangyeon argued," With how vague their relationship is to us, it's only fair that we know what they're up to? They might not know their limits after all."

"They're 21, hyung. I think they could decide as responsible adults. And we know Haknyeon can be pretty professional," Changmin said, hoping secretly that they really didn't have thoughts of dating. He didn't think of that, that maybe the two of them were hiding something or they were almost to being an item. Of course, both of them would reject the suggestion of that idea if confronted separately. He wondered if he should confront them together? 

"Anyway, you and Juyeon should rest," Sangyeon said, parking the car in front of the building where their dorm was," I'll just take this back to our manager. I told Chanhee about Eric already so you can let him handle that giant baby." After that, the two dancers helped each other carry the sleeping maknae. He wasn't that heavy anyway. He was just heavier than usual because he was a dead weight. Asleep. 

When the trio went into the dorm, they could hear Haknyeon and Chanhee together. It was, to be honest, an unlikely combination, but more surprising things happened before and it was in the living room anyway, so it wasn't as if they were chatting secretly in their rooms. But what was suspicious was that they changed the topic immediately when they saw Changmin. Changmin was sure they were talking about something else before they arrived but he was too tired to ask them about it. After basically throwing Eric on his bed, the two members went to their bed. 

"Yah, wash your face," Sunwoo nagged when he noticed Changmin lie face-first on his respective bed," We don't want you to break out."

"I'm too tired," Changmin whined, basically shouting into his pillow. The day was long in his opinion. He talked to Chanhee about his feelings for Mia earlier. Then he decided to train at the company for hours. Then he had to take care of drunk Mia. Plus the thing about "efforts" that drunk Mia mentioned? He was also bothered by that. 

"Minnie, you really should wash your face," Kevin said as he peered from his bunk," Pimples are a make-up artist's worst nightmare."

"Alright, Kev," Changmin sighed before yawning. He pulled himself out of bed and went to the bathroom. He was so tired that he didn't notice Haknyeon by the door of the bathroom with his arms crossed. "If this is going to be bullshit, I don't want to hear about it," Changmin said, blankly staring at Haknyeon's reflection in the mirror. 

"I just want to ask if Mia's okay? You know she won't reply because she's drunk," Haknyeon raised an eyebrow," Grumpy aren't we?"

"Tired is the right word," Changmin corrected him, putting facial wash on his face," She's okay and home. She is a handful though."

"Told her she should avoid drinking too much," Haknyeon muttered," But hey, she's an adult. She's 21. What can I do?"

"Tell her friends to stop her from drinking too much? You don't have her best friend’s number?" Changmin suggested. Haknyeon scrolled his phone. 

"I don't. Jaehee's not exactly the trusting type even with idols, especially that we haven't met yet" Haknyeon sighed," Anyway, thanks for taking care of her. In exchange, I am willing to answer any question you want."

"I have the internet," Changmin washed off the suds on his face," I don't really need more information about you."

"I don't mean about me," Haknyeon showed a picture of Mia on his phone," I mean about her. Hyung, any interest?"

"None," Changmin nonchalantly answered, drying his face with a towel he brought. He knew that it was a trap. If Changmin asked anything, it would be pretty obvious that he liked Mia in a way other than a friend. And he didn't want Haknyeon to catch the wind on that. On the other side, Haknyeon knew Changmin was tempted to take his offer. After his conversation with Chanhee, he was more than happy to set the two workaholics up. He just needed someone to make the first move. Surely, Mia wouldn't do it. But maybe, Changmin would. 

"Alright then," Haknyeon turned his back on Changmin," I'll tell you a random TMI then. Mia's favorite member is Kevin-hyung and because we follow her on Twitter, she's staying quiet about it. But I do think she still likes him. I'm not sure if hyung is aware though."

"So are you going to set them up?" Changmin seemed to be more interested at that point. Haknyeon shrugged. He got the older member where he wanted him. He looked back at Changmin and showed him a knowing smile. 

"If she'll ask me to, I will," he answered before he went back to where he came from. Changmin was left thinking in the bathroom. Would it be okay for him to intrude if she did like Kevin that way? His mind was suddenly all messed up because of one girl. 


	11. Eleven

Mia's memory from the previous night was foggy. By foggy, she meant she didn't remember a thing, aside from her sister serving her some hangover soup. When she woke up, her head was throbbing. She remembered why she didn't like drinking too much. The hangovers never made the fun from the previous night worth it. 

"Oh, you're awake already," Hana said as she entered the room with a tray," I brought some ramyeon. I thought you'd like some breakfast."

"Ramyeon for breakfast? Really?" Mia laughed. Hana rolled her eyes and put the tray on her older sister's desk. 

"Oh yeah, Hana, how did I get home?" Mia asked," Did Hak come and get me? That would be the worst way for him and Jaehee to meet."

Hana shook her head, sitting down on her bed which was across Mia's. 

"It was Changmin-oppa," she answered as she glanced at Mia's face. Haknyeon said something was up between Mia and Changmin and Hana was too suspicious to believe it right away. Hana noticed Mia looking down as she fiddled her fingers. "I hope you didn't do anything embarrassing, eonni. It would be fine if it's just Jaehee-eonni and the others, but it seemed like you had other company."

"I only remember Eric," Mia sighed," I don't remember the other people with me."

Hana pouted. Of course, Mia didn't remember what happened or whom she was with. That was what always happened when she had too much to drink and according to how she smelled, she could go and impersonate a soju bottle. 

"Anyways, dad is out. As usual. And I will be too. I'll go to the library," Hana said," Wanna come with?"

"Hmm," Mia shrugged," Sure. I'd like to do some advanced reading too."

  
  


Changmin hated this feeling. 

It had been this way since Haknyeon brought up Kevin and Mia last night. He couldn't erase the mental image of Mia and Kevin. Together. As a couple. Honestly, he hated the idea. Surely, Kevin was a nice guy. He was talented, smart, funny, sweet, anything a girl would ask for but Mia... 

"Ji Changmin!" Sunwoo almost shouted. He had been calling the older's name for a solid three minutes already. 

"What?" Changmin answered back, rather angrily. Sunwoo rolled his eyes and handed him a phone. 

"Isn't this Sangyeon-hyung's? Why is it with you?"

"He wanted to treat us to breakfast for working hard. Leader stuff," Sunwoo looked really impatient but who wouldn't be if you were the one ordered to get everyone's orders. 

Changmin took the phone and scrolled through the menu. His mind was still full of nonsense about Kevin and Mia that when he returned the phone back to Sunwoo, he didn't know what he ordered. He just knew it was with soup. 

"You seem out of it, Changmin," Younghoon sat beside Changmin once Sunwoo left him alone," What's bothering you?"

"Just a... possibility," Changmin muttered. Younghoon pouted then looked at the same direction Changmin was looking at. 

"You can be more honest with me, you know," Younghoon reassured him," I'm one of the closest people you have here. To be honest, we're all family. So whatever is worrying you, it would be nice if you tell it to one person."

"Thanks, hyung," Changmin turned to the older member," Actually, I've told Chanhee about this."

"And what did he say?"

"He told me I was stupid."

"Ah, classic Choi Chanhee."

"To be honest, I don't know what to do."

"I'll just give some vague advice okay? Because you seem like you don't want to open up yet."

"What is it?"

"Don't think twice about something you really want to have or someone else might take it from you."

"How is that vague? It sounds pretty specific," Changmin whistled. He knew Younghoon had no clue about the situation he was in. The older member could be pretty dense about matters like this one. By this one, Changmin meant romantic things. 

"Just a random quote in my head," Younghoon smiled at him," Did it apply to you?"

"To be honest, it did," Changmin sighed. Younghoon wrapped his left arm around Changmin's shoulders. 

"Changmin-ah, I hope whatever's bothering you would get solved by itself... But it seems like it won't be solved unless you make the decision to solve it," Younghoon mused. Changmin knew the older member was right. He was still wishy-washy about his feelings for Mia. He knew he wanted to date her but he doubted how serious he was with her. He knew the members would kill him if he dated her half-heartedly. 

"Thanks, Hoonie-hyung," Changmin sharply inhaled," I'll solve it once I am sure of how."

"That's my dongsaeng," Younghoon ruffled Changmin's hair. 

"You're only older by a year! Don't baby me!" Changmin laughed. 

"How can I not when you literally look like a baby, Minnie?"

_'Why is Hyunjun here..?'_

That was all Mia could think about when she noticed the former member in a restaurant across the place where she and Hana were buying ice cream from. After studying for hours in the library, the Lee siblings decided to take a break by consuming sugar. Of course, they haven't had their lunch yet but their exhausted brains wanted more sugar in their systems. 

"Eonni, yah," Hana shot a look at Mia. She noticed that her older sister was staring at the other side of the street. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing," Mia managed to stutter out of her mouth, making an effort to block Hana's view of Hyunjun. Why was she hiding Hyunjun from Hana? Mostly because she sometimes worked with Hyunjun, aside from Hyunjun being a former member of The Boyz. That meant she wanted to separate her personal life from her professional one and if that meant obviously avoiding Hyunjun like the plague, she would. 

"Alright," Hana said as she picked a seat," Oh right, how did the others react about you and... Haknyeon-oppa being friends and all?"

"They took it a lot better than you did," Mia chuckled," Jaehee didn't even shout Haknyeon's name."

"Hey! How would you react if I was friends with... I don't know, Jeongwoo from Treasure? I think that dude's the same age as me."

"Knowing how social you are, I wouldn't be that surprised. You are the better one at talking to people between the two of us," Mia answered," Anyways, it really isn't surprising? I mean I do work near their dorm sometimes."

"Even so!" Hana sighed," Eonni, I also can't believe you two aren't dating."

"We're just very good friends, Hana, and I prefer it that way," Mia said as she took a spoonful of her ice cream," Aside from that, I am not ready to date again."

"Oh, that bullshit again."

"Hana, watch your language!" Mia shot a look," I know I don't have the time to date anyone for now. I can't really rush into things like relationships."

"If you're hanging out with handsome men like The Boyz, if I were you, I wouldn't mind rushing into every single one of them," Hana muttered. 

"What was that, Hana?"

"Oh, nothing, eonni!" Hana faked a smile," Anyways, the guy you were staring at is..." She didn't finish her sentence. She only showed Mia a mischievous smirk and pointed at the direction of the door. "You can't hide handsome men from me, eonni."

"Noona!" Hyunjun excitedly greeted as he approached the sisters," I'm assuming that this is your sister?"

"Hyunjun-ah," was the only thing Mia could say. She never expected Hyunjun to go to where they were. It's not that Mia didn't want to see him. It was just, well... She had a hormonal teenager as a sister. 

"Nice to meet you," Hana offered her hand," Hyunjun-ssi, right? I'm Hana, Mia-eonni's baby sister."

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen," Mia groaned, watching how Hana's eyes scanned Hyunjun from head to toe," We have a five-year difference."

"Oh," Hyunjun nodded. He was about to continue the conversation when his friend called him over. They had to leave. Hyunjun bid his farewell to the pair, telling Mia if Hana wanted to talk to him she could follow him on his private account, before rushing back to his friend's side. 

"He's the former member, right?" Hana asked after she made sure Hyunjun left the store," The injured one?"

"Touchy subject but yes," Mia answered," I saw how you looked at him, Hana. And I am telling you to stop whatever it is you are thinking of. And no, I won't be your bridge to Hyunjun."

Hana crossed her arms and frowned. She knew she couldn't convince Mia to introduce her to anyone. Hana was sixteen after all and Mia's colleagues were around 20 or 21. It would be pedophilia if Mia set her up with any of her friends. It was such a shame that Mia didn't know anyone else from the industry. She guessed it would be fun having an idol boyfriend. 

"Back to the topic at hand," Hana decided to switch the subject. She didn't want to make Mia mad but she did want to tease her sister about Haknyeon, although Haknyeon did already tell Hana about the deal with Changmin. 

"If not Haknyeon-oppa then who?"

  
  


"Changmin-ah!" 

Chanhee almost screeched, his voice higher than anything the other members heard. Changmin had been out of himself recently. Of course, he did perform well. He was on beat. His steps were flawless. But something was off. Way off. And no one had guts to confront Changmin about it, not even Sangyeon. If the dancer asked why they thought he felt off, they wouldn't really know how to answer. 

Except for Chanhee, Sunwoo, and Younghoon, of course. 

Chanhee wanted to give up calling Changmin's name. He had repeated the latter's name for at least 50 times. He kind of kept count. Chanhee sighed before finally getting a grip on Changmin's t-shirt and forcing the brunette to look at his best friend. 

"What?" Changmin hissed. 

"Oh, don't use that tone with me," Chanhee snapped," What's wrong with you?"

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong," Changmin answered as he removed Chanhee's grip on his shirt," I'm fine, Hee."

"Bullshit."

"What?" 

"Am I seeing this right? Ji Changmin is affected by love?"

"Love? Chanhee-"

Chanhee laughed before shaking his head. He wasn't really mad at that point. Changmin looked silly. Something was off with him. Chanhee noticed the confusion Changmin had on his face and laughed some more. 

"Why are you-"

"They're all worried about you," Chanhee cut him off," You seem distracted although your performances are still perfect. It felt like you weren't completely here."

"Because I wasn't," Changmin admitted," I was thinking of someone. You know."

"Ooh, boy, I know," Chanhee whistled," Anyways, there's no use thinking about her or your chances with her now. We have lots of performances lined up. We need to show what we are capable of, Ji Changmin."

"Yeah, sorry," Changmin slapped both of his cheeks," I need to focus."

"That's the Changmin I know and love-hate," Chanhee clasped his hands before moving closer to Changmin," Tell me about your worries later. I might know how to help you."

And practice did resume as Chanhee said. It went smoothly. Better even than before. Changmin was more focused than he was minutes earlier. He could point out the smallest mistakes, like the angle of their feet or the movements of their fingertips. The rest of the members weren't sure if they should be thankful to Chanhee or not, but they knew the former should be the choice. 

After two hours of non-stop dancing, Sangyeon called for a short break. He knew if the other members were to be followed, it meant no breaks. No breaks could mean fatigue and injuries. Sangyeon didn't want to let that happen so he called for a break. But a break wasn't really a break with a group like The Boyz. 

A break was playtime. And playtime did start. 

With Eric's and Sunwoo's noisiness as they played a word game as the background, Haknyeon approached Changmin out of the blue. And that surprised the older member. Haknyeon usually spent break times as a time to eat a small snack or sleep or text Mia. He rarely approached Changmin during breaks. 

"Hyung," Haknyeon called out to him. 

"What," Changmin said in a monotone voice, pretending not to be surprised with the younger's sudden appearance. 

"I'm sorry about what I said last night," the younger one apologized, looking down. Haknyeon felt like it was his fault than Changmin was not at his best condition earlier. And he hated making anyone feel that bad. Sure, Haknyeon did tease Changmin about the possibility of Mia and Kevin but that didn't mean he wanted Changmin to get distracted by it the next day. 

Changmin's heart melted when he saw how guilty Haknyeon looked. The boy looked like he killed someone. Changmin sighed before smiling and putting his hand on his shoulder.

"What are you talking about, Juhak?" Changmin laughed," Last night? You didn't say anything bad."

"I was aware of your feelings for Mia and-"

Changmin widened his eyes and covered Haknyeon's mouth. 

"Not too loud, okay? We don't want that... that tidbit to spread," Changmin almost whispered. Haknyeon slowly nodded.

"Okay," Haknyeon said," Is it because how protective the others are with her too?"

"To be honest, you're the scariest out of the bunch," Changmin answered," You cling to her like she's your life."

"She is my escape," Haknyeon innocently said and if anyone else heard this, they could've gotten the wrong idea but Changmin understood what Haknyeon meant. Mia could be a whiff of fresh air for them, especially for Haknyeon. She treated them as equals, as non-celebrities. Sure, the members loved talking about their achievements, like their brand rankings and their views on Youtube, but it was nice to have someone who talked to them about mundane things like what happened on their way to the company or how they decided where to order during dinner. 

"What are you two talking about?" 

Haknyeon stepped back, surprised by the voice that came from behind him. Changmin, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow at Chanhee. 

"You know," Changmin answered, " You always do somehow."

"It's called logic, Min," Chanhee smirked," So he apologized?"

"There was no need, to be honest," Changmin ruffled Haknyeon's hair," I know Hak likes to play around a lot."

"Mhm," Chanhee hummed, glancing at Haknyeon," But Mia is both of your Achilles' heel huh."

"Hm?" Changmin tilted his head," I'm not that serious about her to agree with that."

"You sure?"

  
  


It had been a few days since the whole drunk fiasco. And it had been a few days since Changmin was being bothered by Mia's words during that night. He hated how much he was bothered by them. He hated how her eyes haunted him. But he couldn't help it. 

On the other hand, there was Mia. Mia knew her crush with Kevin would go nowhere, unless, of course, she took Haknyeon's offer about hooking them up. But that didn't sit well with her. Aside from that, it was enough for her to have Haknyeon as someone mistaken as her boyfriend. She didn't need a serious relationship. She believed, on the surface level, she didn't. If she was honest with herself though, she would realize she kept reading romantic webcomics. 

Haknyeon, as the middle man in all of this, wasn't really sure what to do. Even though Chanhee was the puppet master, Haknyeon was the one who spent the most time with both of them. He lived with Changmin. He always asked Mia out. In his mind, he was unsure whether to push Changmin and Mia together or help Mia out with her "not-so-serious" crush on Kevin. That was why he made the first move to request for him to meet Jaehee. 

"What? Are you crazy?" Mia almost shouted as she slammed her fork down," You? A man? Meet Jaehee? The man-hater? Alone? Do you hear yourself, Ju Haknyeon?"

"I do actually. I just cleaned my ears yesterday," Haknyeon grinned," Trust me, Mia. I can handle Jaehee on my own."

"Even I couldn't do that! Why do you want to meet her alone? You know she doesn't want a boyfriend."

"Secret," Haknyeon raised his index finger to his lips," I'm just curious about her to be honest."

"Curious?" Mia narrowed her eyes before sighing," Alright. She wants to meet you anyway. I'll set a date for you two. Remember though, I warned you. Jaehee can be a wild cannon without supervision."

"I think I can handle that," Haknyeon tapped on his glass of water before drinking it," I live with Sunwoo. I can handle a wild canon."

And the fated day did arrive. Through Mia, Jaehee and Haknyeon agreed to meet at a cafe Jaehee frequented to when she needed inspiration for her art. They agreed that they would meet at 3 PM sharp too. Jaehee made sure she memorized Haknyeon's face and Haknyeon double-checked with Mia what Jaehee looked like. It felt like a stealth mission all itself. But the only stealthy person at this point was the subject of the meeting: Mia. She admitted she followed the pair and sat at a table near enough to watch them but far enough so that no one would notice her. 

"Ju Haknyeon, right?" Jaehee coldly said, reaching out her hand," I'm Lee Jaehee, Mia's real best friend."

Haknyeon thought it was cute that Jaehee was very protective of her place in Mia's life. He felt the same about it. He didn't want his spot taken away by any other person because he wanted to remain special in Mia's eyes. 

"Ju Haknyeon," Haknyeon nodded and shook Jaehee's hand," Mia's boy best friend."

"Well, that space was vacant before for a reason," Jaehee sighed as she said that." Anyways, it's nice meeting you in the flesh. Mia indirectly told me a lot of things about you."

"I heard she used a fake name?"

"Scared your fans might know of her?"

"No," Haknyeon shook his head, " I trust deobis."

"I don't," Jaehee whistled," So Mia said you wanted to talk to me about something?"

Haknyeon tapped Jaehee's hand which was on the table and moved his pupils in a certain direction. Jaehee followed them and noticed a suspicious figure listening in to their conversation.

"Want to lose her first?" Haknyeon asked. Jaehee shrugged before showing a naughty smile. 

"Sure," Jaehee stood up," Meet me at the Han River. I know we can lose her there. An hour from now. Deal?"

"Deal."

Mia thought it was odd to see Jaehee leaving before Haknyeon did. She also thought it was odd that they seemed to be getting well but she didn't want to read into it. Jaehee is a lesbian. She would never have any interest in Haknyeon that way. 

Mia watched as Haknyeon cleaned the table before he went out of the cafe. Did he glance at her for a second? She wasn't sure. She only knew that she was left alone in that cafe. 

Apparently, she didn't have any talent to become a spy. 

"What am I going to do now?" Mia whispered to herself before standing up," Sunwoo did mention he was around here... somewhere, with Eric too. Maybe I should hang out with them? Should I? Would it be weird if I suddenly popped up?"

A call from Mia's phone interrupted her overthinking. It was from Eric. Right. The best way to know if it was okay to hang out with them was by asking them herself. 

"Noona?"

Eric's voice sounded a bit manlier on the phone. Maybe because Mia didn't see his baby face? 

"Eric-ah, what's up?"

"Sunwoo, Hyunjae-hyung, and I are at an arcade. Wanna hang out with us?"

"Sure, just text me where you are. Oh, by the way, how did you know I was free?"

"Haknyeon-hyung texted Sunwoo and said you didn't have anything to do."

That's when Mia realized she was caught by the pair. She bit her lower lip and said over the phone," I'll be on my way."

  
  


Jaehee and Haknyeon did meet at the Han after an hour. It felt weird for Jaehee to spend alone time with a man other than her father. Haknyeon, on the other hand, was extremely used to the company of women, with how many sisters he had. 

"So, you want to..." Jaehee whistled," Why should I agree to that?"

"Because I think it'll make them both happy," Haknyeon explained," I mean, they're a good fit. Wouldn't you agree? Both of them have weird schedules and they already meet regularly."

"But that's not our decision to make," Jaehee argued," And sorry, not sorry, but I'm not on team men."

"Trust me--"

"You drive a hard bargain."

Haknyeon laughed. He understood that Jaehee didn't really hate men. If she did, they wouldn't be walking together at that moment. But she did love joking about it. 

"Trust me," he repeated himself," Changmin-hyung is a good guy. Plus he has two sisters-"

"Introduce the sisters instead then," Jaehee cut him off," I just... If you knew."

"Oh, I know," Haknyeon said," I wouldn't be Mia's closest male friend if I didn't."

"Anyways," Jaehee frowned for a moment," I want something to form between them organically. I don't want to... have my hand in this."

"But would you support me if I push through with it?" Haknyeon asked. Jaehee paused. She didn't want any part of it, mainly because she didn't like meddling in the romantic affairs of her friends, but she was worried that this whole thing could end up with Mia getting hurt. Of course she didn't want that. 

"I'm not sure," Jaehee said quietly," Setting them up without any of the pair's permission. Would that really end up nicely?"

"We won't know unless we try right?"

  
  


After spending the whole day, even dinner, with The Boyz' maknae line and Jaehyun, Mia was glad to be back in her home. The peace and quiet she wanted all day was there. Don't get her wrong. She loved spending time with those three but it could be so draining. They were all extroverts. Mia wasn't. She needed to recharge her social battery. 

But just when she was about to start with her requirements, she received a text from Kevin. They had a short conversation, basically because Mia wanted to cut it short. She loved Kevin. She was her ult in The Boyz (yes, she finally picked one). But she didn't need anyone bothering her. 

Then Changmin texted. 

And it ended with a video call from that same man. 

"Oppa," Mia only showed her eye only just to piss him off. The room he was in was dark, she noticed. Quite the opposite where she was because Hana was organizing her notes. 

"Mia, that's unfair," Changmin pouted, gesturing to his eye," Would you like it if you were talking to an eye?"

"Alright," Mia laughed before showing her whole face," It's weird talking to you on the phone like this."

"Why? I thought we were close," Changmin mused. Mia shrugged. 

"We aren't really the type of people to talk on the phone... We usually talk face-to-face," Mia answered," I miss you."

Changmin felt his heart fluttering. Those three words may seem nothing but it was everything for him. He did like Mia and he knew he wanted to date her so bad but something was stopping him. He couldn't confess his feelings just yet. He felt like the timing was always off. 

"I miss you too," Changmin smiled at her," I heard you hung out with those three today?"

"You mean Hyunjae-oppa, Eric and Sunwoo?" Mia said before nodding," They even treated me to dinner. I had free dinner!"

"I'm so jealous," Changmin spurted out before he immediately added," that you get free food! They never treat me out."

"Perks of being a little sister in a group full of brothers," Mia laughed," I like being babied by Hyunjae-oppa but sometimes, he's a headache to deal with."

"Tell me about it," Changmin snickered," But I'm glad you had fun. Sunwoo couldn’t stop talking about what happened. You and hyung seemed to get closer too?” 

“It’s all because I used to play PC games,” Mia laughed,” It was Jaehee’s influence. Then oppa challenged me to play. Of course, I lost.” 

“Eonni, don’t talk too loudly!” Changmin was surprised to hear Hana’s voice out of the blue. 

“Alright!” Mia looked away from Changmin for a second,” I’m sorry. Do you want to say hi to Changmin-oppa? What? No! You’re crazy for saying that.” 

“What did she say?” Changmin asked. Mia looked back at him and shook her head.

“Nothing important,” she answered,” Just sister things.” 

“About me?” Changmin raised an eyebrow. Mia stuck out her tongue before laughing. 

“Not everything is about you, oppa,” Mia mused,” How are you, by the way? We haven’t hung out in a while.” 

“Tired,” Changmin answered,” Nonstop practice. The choreography this time is so difficult.” 

“I wish you luck then,” she hummed,” But I know you can pull it off. I mean you are Ji Changmin, The Boyz’s main dancer.” 

“And that puts pressure on me sometimes,” Changmin sighed,” I have to perform well. All eyes are on me.” 

“Hmm,” Mia frowned for a moment,” That helps you grow as a dancer, right?” 

“Of course,” Changmin rested his chin on his hand while looking at Mia,” I don’t hate the pressure, to be honest. But it overwhelms me sometimes.” 

“Your fans will still love you even if you don’t do well sometimes.” 

“But our fans deserve the best.” 

“You also deserve to breathe. Oppa, I won’t tell you what to do but please take care of yourself. You’re doing mighty well. I haven’t seen you dance again but I know you’re improving each time you practice.” 

“You can be such a sweet person sometimes,” Changmin smiled. Hearing all of this encouragement from her makes Changmin feel reassured. Someone other than the members saw his efforts. He appreciated the words his fans leave in their fancafe, of course, but hearing it from Mia felt different. He wanted her approval. Maybe that would give him the right to like someone like her. 

“I am always a sweet person,” Mia pouted,” You never noticed that?” 

“Maybe it’s because you hang out with Chanhee?” 

“Chanhee-oppa? Well,” she chuckled,” More of he forces me to hang out with him? Just joking! Chanhee-oppa is such a clingy oppa! It isn’t obvious but he is. But I really appreciate his presence.” 

“I doubt that.” 

“I love his honesty. He doesn’t sugarcoat things with me. In a world full of people pretending, it’s nice to have a brutally honest person like Chanhee-oppa near me.” 

“I agree with that. Chanhee’s really-- Ya! Eric, who said you can--” 

Mia was surprised to see Changmin glaring at someone outside of the frame, whom she assumed was Eric. Changmin kept telling Eric to get out of whatever room he was in. Of course, knowing Eric, he squeezed himself next to Changmin and smiled at Mia before apologizing to Changmin. 

“You spent time with her earlier already!” Changmin whined. Eric rolled his eyes and winked at Mia.

“So when will we have that rematch, Eric?” Mia asked,” I know I will beat you at ice hockey someday.” 

“In your dreams, noona! No one can beat me,” Eric stuck out his tongue,” You’re so bad at it.” 

“Hello?” Changmin tried getting their attention,” I’m here?”

“Oh, you are?” Mia teased,” I’m kidding, oppa.”

“You can’t have noona all to yourself,” Eric complained,” Noona is The Boyz’s.”

“I am no one’s property, Eric,” Mia corrected,” Anyway, let’s just talk another time, Eric.”

“Hmm, okay,” Eric nodded,” Soju someday again?”

“Sure,” Mia nodded. And with that, Eric left the two of them alone. Changmin let out a sigh of relief.

“How did you do that?” Changmin asked. 

“Do what?” 

“Tell Eric to leave.”

“I guess college girls are your weakness,” Mia answered with a slight pout on her lips,” Eric never really said no to me before. Though, I admit, I don’t tell him no too.” 

“How about me?”

“What do you mean you?” 

“Is it easy to control me?” 

“I can’t,” Mia gave out a small laugh. Changmin sort of melted when he saw it. 

“You can’t?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“No one could, to be honest. I mean, I wish I can.”

“Why?” 

“It’s my secret, oppa,” she teasingly said,” Oh yeah, I have to go. I have requirements to do.” 

“You can’t leave me at a cliffhanger, Lee Mia,” Changmin protested but Mia only showed him a knowing smile before hanging up. Changmin didn’t know what she meant, once again. Was she teasing him? Did it mean something? He couldn’t avoid getting his hopes up when it came to her. 

_‘Oh god, what does she mean by that?’_


	12. Twelve

Mia narrowed her eyes when Chanhee entered her workplace. To be honest, it wasn't odd for him to go there. He was a regular, even before Mia worked there. It was just that, before, Chanhee never went when it was her shift. Now that they know each other, Chanhee always came when it was her shift. It was as if Chanhee meant it for that to happen. 

Of course, nothing is an accident with Choi Chanhee. 

"Mia," Chanhee smiled at her and waved a bit," What's with that look?"

"You know I love you," Mia started. 

"Everyone does," he smirked. She rolled her eyes. 

"Aren't you tired of going here?" Mia asked. 

"No," Chanhee said as he went to the nearest row of clothes," I love clothes. I love talking to you. So you can say I love going here."

"Aww, " Mia smiled before showing a thumbs down," Excuses."

"Okay," Chanhee raised his hands," Retail therapy."

"That's it," Mia laughed," If you wanted to hang out, you can ask me out."

"Someone will get jealous," Chanhee muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," he shook his head," Anyway, you promised me you'll tell me about your ex."

"I did before tho."

"No, I mean, your breakup."

Haknyeon wasn't sure if Jaehee was with him or against him. He had been thinking about it since the time he walked with her. He asked for her number, just in case he needed help, but she just told him to ask Mia about it. And of course, he didn't ask Mia. He thought Mia would find it odd if Haknyeon asked for her friend's number after a meet up after all. 

"Something bothering you?" Sunwoo asked as he approached the puzzled member. Haknyeon shrugged. 

"Nothing big," he answered," Just some thoughts."

"I didn't know you could think," Sunwoo teased. Haknyeon playfully punched his arm. 

"You're the one to talk," he retorted," Anyway, when are you going to introduce me to someone?"

"I thought you didn't want to date anymore," Sunwoo raised an eyebrow. Haknyeon shrugged. Thinking about how to set up Changmin and Mia together made him want to date too, but he didn't know anyone he could date.

"Why are you in a rush to date, hyung?" Eric sat in front of the pair," I heard a little part of your convo."

"Not really in a rush," Haknyeon pouted," Just jealous of couples. All my friends are dating except for Mia."

"Noona might leave you for another person," Sunwoo fake gasped," As if. Noona seems to be totally against dating."

"I'm sure she has an open mind about it," Haknyeon argued," It's just... She's busy. She needs someone with a weird schedule too."

"Why not one of us then? Dating isn't a big deal," Eric said. Haknyeon and Sunwoo looked at each other once they heard that and laughed. 

"Wow, coming from you? I thought you were all romantic about this," Sunwoo said. 

"I mean, for others, it isn't right? Of course, I take dating seriously!" Eric almost screamed," I'm just not sure which of us could be a good fit for noona."

"Maybe one of the older members?" Sunwoo suggested," They're old men at this point. Jacob-hyung would take care of her."

"They rarely meet," Haknyeon said. He shouldn't be too obvious that he was cheering for Changmin at that point. Every time Sunwoo or Eric said a name, Haknyeon would give a lukewarm response. It wasn't his place to tell them about Changmin and he couldn't take it if he lied about seeing other members as a good fit for Mia. 

"Noona will die single this way," Eric groaned. 

_'Hoo, trust me she won't.'_

  
  
  


"Oppa."

Chanhee turned his head and waved a bit. Mia showed him a small smile. After talking a bit about Mia's ex earlier, Chanhee thought it would be a good idea to treat her out to an afternoon snack before bringing her to her next job. 

"Mia, you're really short," Chanhee said as he ruffled Mia's hair. 

"It's just that you're tall, oppa," Mia pouted. Chanhee laughed as a response. Mia felt at ease with Chanhee. Maybe because Chanhee often visited the boutique or the older brother vibe Chanhee radiated. Chanhee put Mia's hand on his arm and grinned at her. 

"So where does our little piggy want to eat?" 

"I'd like... ice cream?" 

"Ice cream it is then," Chanhee led the way," I guess you need a bit of cooling down."

"A lot of cooling down," Mia said. Chanhee led the way to a Baskin-Robbins near where Mia was going to work at. 

"What flavor do you want?" Chanhee asked as he opened the door to the ice cream shop. 

"Isn't it expensive here..?" Mia glanced at the menu on top of the ice cream counter. She couldn't believe ice cream could be that expensive.

"I'll treat you so don't stop yourself," Chanhee reassured her," You can treat me next time when we eat so you don't feel guilty, deal?"

Mia wanted to reject Chanhee's offer but it seemed rude to do so. She nodded hesitantly with Chanhee grinning as a response. Mia chose the Birthday Cake flavor from the menu before her brother figure gestured her to go to find a seat where they could have some privacy. 

"Hm, I don't understand power couples though," Chanhee said as he served their ice cream," You were in one. What was that like?"

"It's hard to talk about him a lot, you know," Mia muttered. Chanhee showed her a soft smile and put his hand on hers. 

"I understand. I'm willing to wait if you don't want to tell me now," Chanhee said with a small voice," I'm just really curious about your love history. So you never had any dating stuff after you and your ex broke up?"

"Never had the time."

"Never made time, you mean," Chanhee said as he gave himself a spoonful of dairy goodness," Then you never flirted with anyone or... "

"Of course I did! But it never really goes anywhere," Mia sighed," How about you, oppa?"

"Nothing serious, just here and there," he said coolly," I'm still young after all. I have a lot of time to date."

"Dating just seems..."

"Alien to you at this point?"

"Yeah," Mia took a spoon of her ice cream and stared at it," It's been years. I think I've lost my touch."

All Chanhee thought was 'No, you didn't or else Changmin's just a crazy person.' That was when he was reminded about Changmin's situation. It would be funny to ask Mia for advice while she didn't know who it was really about. 

"Mia," Chanhee started," If your friend has a crush on someone you view as a sibling, what would you do?"

"I'd trust my friend that they won't screw up," Mia answered," But I wouldn't do much unless I was asked by my friend to help them. I don't want to mess with something unless asked after all."

"What if your friend is being super stupid about this? Like he won't act or do anything to suggest that he has romantic feelings for the person he likes?"

"Oppa? Do any of the members like someone?"

"Lonely, Mr Ji?"

Kevin sat beside Changmin while he was looking down from the rooftop of their company's building. Kevin was there to compose songs in his studio. Changmin was there to practice for whatever performance he was in the mood for. He had two choices after all: their concert and their comeback. 

"Sometimes, being alone feels good, Mr Moon," Changmin answered," I'm not lonely. Just thinking."

"Reminds of me when I can't sleep," Kevin chuckled," Something bothering you?"

"A lot and none at the same time," the dancer answered, still looking at the empty streets," Do you think, whatever happens, our fans will love us?"

"What kind of silly question is that?"

"A Ji Changmin question. And I need a Moon Kevin answer."

"I like to believe that they always will... I mean, there's a bond between us as The Boyz and them as Deobis."

"Of course, that's the answer."

"What's happening, Changmin?"

"Nothing... I'm just unsure if anything is worth the risk to hurt them."

"If it's anything illegal, Changmin, I swear they'll even help you destroy the evidence," Kevin chuckled. Finally, Changmin cracked a small smile. 

"Kevin... Have you ever experienced liking someone?"

"What kind of question is that?" Kevin asked with a teasing smile," Does our baby squirrel have a crush on someone?"

"No," Changmin swiftly answered," It's just that... I have a friend."

"Oh? A friend?"

"Yes, a friend," Changmin shot a look at his same age friend," He isn't sure if what he feels for this other person is simply liking the person as a friend or as something more."

"To answer your question, yeah," Kevin hummed," I've liked someone before. I mean, who didn't? How about you, Changmin?"

"I did before but... This feels different," Changmin stopped himself," I mean, my friend said that this felt completely different from how he felt before."

"Different how?"

"Different in a way... You know, when we were younger, we were so excited with candies and toys. That was how it felt before. But now... he feels at home with this person, as if the storms in his mind stay still for just a moment."

"Home?"

"As if everything will be alright," Changmin had this spark in his eyes. Kevin noticed it but he didn't want to point it out. He found it endearing after all. 

"So your friend is confused because it feels different?"

"Yeah," Changmin nodded," Does this mean he's serious about that person? Or that they're supposed to be friends?"

"Does he feel the same about his friends?"

"His friends are his home. But this person feels different. As if..."

"You belong by their side?"

"Yeah, as if they are the other end of the thread of fate... "

"Slip of the tongue there, Changmin," Kevin chuckled," It's alright to tell me if you like someone. I won't tell."

"N.. No!" Changmin stuttered," It's just about my friend. Not me. No, not Ji Changmin. Anyway, I'll go back to the practice room. I need to review our choreography for Scar."

"Sure," Kevin rolled his eyes as he watched Changmin walk away from him. It was cute to find him that way. Kevin wondered who made Changmin that way. Who was the person he liked? Kevin couldn't really think of anyone. Maybe a friend of his sister or a friend from home? Mia maybe? 

"Well, it's no use if I only speculate. Better squeeze the truth out of him," Kevin carelessly said as he strolled back into the company. 

  
  
  


A few days passed since Mia told Chanhee about her ex and Changmin asked Kevin for advice about liking someone. Chanhee, the protective older brother that he was with Mia, often asked her if she was doing okay. For the first time, he was having doubts about his plans about setting her up with Changmin. Sure, Changmin was a good guy but Mia might not be ready to date. Kevin, on the other hand, grew suspicious of Changmin ever since that day. He often asked Changmin who the lucky person was but Changmin never said a word. Normally, Kevin would let him be. It was his secret after all. But the poor vocalist was too invested in it to do that. 

"Oppa," Mia glanced at Changmin before returning her gaze to the cemented ground," Have you ever dated before?"

"What kind of question is that?" Changmin asked, quite intrigued as to why Mia would think of that question. He was hoping it was because Mia was slowly opening herself to dating. She kind of shot the topic down when he mentioned it before. 

"Just answer it," she slightly whined," Okay, I'll go first. I did. But I've been single for a long time. Nothing serious to be honest."

"You sound like you play around?"

Mia laughed, covering her mouth. Changmin thought her laughter was cute. He raised an eyebrow at her, expecting her to answer his statement, but she shrugged. 

"How about you, oppa?"

"I'm too busy dancing, you know."

"You make it sound like I wasn't busy."

"You can't commit so you are busy."

"That sounds bad," Mia laughed again," This conversation feels so lighter than usual."

"Dating is a fun topic," Changmin looked up," That's why people date."

"Oppa, do you like anyone?"

Of course, as expected, Changmin was flustered with how forward Mia was. But he didn't want to misunderstand anything. He inhaled deeply and showed her a confused face. 

"Why would you ask that?" Changmin asked. 

"Nothing," Mia pouted as she shrugged," No reason really. So... None?"

"As I said," Changmin was trying to calm himself down at this point," I'm too busy with all the-"

"I like someone," Mia confessed," I don't know why but I thought I should tell you about it. Hakkie and Chanhee-oppa would go crazy if they knew.".

"Wha-" Did Changmin hear right? Yes, he did. It was a quick statement but Changmin felt his heart break a little. Was this what Younghoon meant before? If he didn't swoop in, if he didn't do anything, someone else might take her? 

"I won't say who but," Mia raised a finger to her lips," I can just say I'm happy when I spend time with them. I don't know if I should ask them out or... I'm not ready to commit yet after all."

Changmin was able to breathe again. A bit. 

"I'm glad you found someone, Mia, but wouldn't you decrease your chances if you don't tell them how you feel?"

Boom. He just hurt himself with his own words. 

"I think it's better this way. I'll move when I'm ready to move."

"And when is that?"

"I'm not sure," she shrugged," But I'm sure I don't stand any chance."

"Why?"

"Because they told me before that they were a busy person," Mia answered. Changmin felt nervous. Why was he affected by that? Why did he think she was meaning him? Was this an indirect confession? He felt all thoughts shouting at him at once. 

"Busy? What does that person do?" He asked. 

"Not telling," Mia teased," I'd rather keep the identity of that person to myself. I'll tell you someday."

"That's unfair," Changmin pouted. 

"Go like someone then," Mia rolled her eyes," Then we can trade names. That's the only way this is going to be fair, oppa."

_'I already do and it's you.'_

  
  


Changmin and Mia were both bordering on telling each other their biggest secret at this point: who they liked. Changmin hid his crush on Mia well. He disguised it as if he didn't like anyone at that point. Mia, on the other hand, gave out mixed signals, that Changmin was unsure whether he was the one she was pertaining to or not. 

It was, again, a game for both of them. But no one really loses. It was just that... both of them were too shy to confess their true feelings for the person they liked.

As soon as Changmin came back to their dorm, he was welcomed by his same-age friends. Kevin and Chanhee were too curious about what happened. Changmin knew Kevin was oblivious about his feelings for Mia. He was just there to tease him. Aside from that, Kevin predicted that Changmin and Mia would date before all of this happened, so he was just waiting for someone to like the other first. Chanhee, on the other hand, was baited by Changmin about the possibility of a confession that didn't happen. 

"Staying quiet about it?" Chanhee tried to measure where Changmin's mood was at," Just tell us. Why did she call you out? What did she say? What did you lie about?"

"The Han rendezvouses are our thing, Hee," Changmin shot a look," And whatever happens there stays between the two of us. That's why I won't tell you anything."

"Just a hint?" Kevin begged. 

"Alright," Changmin sighed," Mia wants to date."

"What!" Chanhee was surprised by that sudden factoid. After talking to her earlier, Mia was obviously not ready to commit. What changed her mind? Was it their talk about that ex? 

"Date who though?" Kevin narrowed his eyes.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Keb. She didn't drop a hint about it."

  
  


Meanwhile, Mia promised Jaehee a lunch out on the next day they met. She owed her best friend all the stories she had about The Boyz. Jaehee was too clueless about this other life Mia had been living by hanging out with these celebrities. Mia didn't want Jaehee to think she changed because of that. She still valued her friendship with Jaehee above everything. 

"So, you told that Chanhee guy about Jisung," Jaehee said with a sharp look in her eyes," Do you trust that Chanhee guy enough for that level 10 friendship information?"

"Yeah," Mia nodded," Chanhee-oppa's like... He knows how to make me feel like a baby even though he's the youngest in his family. He's really an oppa to me."

"That's good," Jaehee raised a glass of water before taking a sip. She narrowed her eyes on her best friend. "So, about that option... about dating? You sure about that?"

"Mhm," Mia fiddled her fingers," I do have a person in mind."

"Would you drop that person's name?" Jaehee asked. Without a word, Mia slid her phone to Jaehee with a picture of Changmin on the screen. 

"I know it's silly to think of him when we already meet regularly as friends and I know this may ruin our friendship-"

"I know it will get here," Jaehee sighed," It was either this Changmin guy or that Kevin guy you have a crush on. Do you still have a crush on that Kevin dude?"

"Well.." Mia avoided her eyes. Jaehee rolled hers. 

"So... Do you mean to tell me you want to date this giraffe but you also have your eye on a catboy?"

"Jaehee-"

"Are you really ready for a commitment, Mi?" Jaehee sighed," Anyway, we don't have any assurance that any of them likes you. How about thinking about this a bit more? Are you sure you want to dive into dating again?"

"I'm sure of that," Mia said assertively," I'm ready."

"Okay," Jaehee slid the phone back to Mia," Then I suggest you finalize your choice then, when it comes to a target. Those two live together after all. It would be awkward if you like them both so pick one. Then I'll try giving you tips on how to win that man's heart."

"You'd really do that, Hee? I thought you hated the idea of me dating a man."

"If it's for your happiness," Jaehee showed a soft smile," I would do anything, Mi."


	13. Thirteen

Jaehee was not sure how Mia changed her mind about dating yet again but she did. Mia was not a fickle person. She always spent her time thinking about her options before making a decision. But this time was different. All Jaehee asked Mia to do was choose between Kevin and Changmin. 

What happened? 

"Never mind," Mia shook her head," I don't want to date... I think my schedule can't handle dating?"

"Bullshit," Jaehee couldn't stop herself from reacting," Utter bullshit if I ever heard any!"

"Huh?" Mia was obviously surprised by this sudden outburst. But she was serious about this conclusion. Her work already took a big space in her time plus her studies. She didn't even have enough time to spend with her friends, both in her university and The Boyz. It had been a few days since she replied to Haknyeon. She was that busy at that point. 

"Is this because you can't choose? Are you that indecisive about your target?" 

"N-No!" Mia shook her head," Relationships require time and effort. I think I can't give that to any of them now. At this point in my life, it might be hard to add another responsibility."

"Then why, just the other day, were you excited to date?"

"Horny, I guess? I don't know, Hee," Mia sighed," I just think... Is it the right time to date for me? Are any of those oppas the right fit for me? What if they're clingy? What if I'm too busy? They're too busy? What then?"

"This unsure feeling you have is normal when you get into dating," Jaehee explained," Girl, remember the law school chick I dated during our sophomore year?"

"Yeah, always thought she was out of your league. No offense, Hee, but she was that pretty," Mia nodded. 

"It was a short relationship but I had fun with her. You know I just knew her for... Let's say a month before we dated. I went into that relationship thinking those doubts, especially that she is a law woman. She can't spend too much time with me because she had case studies to read. But I was fine with that, because I knew she was mine even if we were apart," Jaehee reminisced, " Sure, we did drift apart but that was the lack of effort on both sides. We could've studied together but we didn't. Doubts like the ones you have are normal in any relationship, but that's what makes it fun."

"Feeling anxious isn't fun."

"But it does keep the adrenaline pumping," Jaehee laughed, " Well, anyway, I won't rush you if you don't think you're ready but I trust you'll know when you are, okay?"

"Alright," Mia looked down. She thought about both men and tried comparing them. Kevin was the man of her dreams. She would never be afraid to admit that, except when she was with his members. He was creative, smart, kind and gentle. He would pat her head when she translated a sentence correctly into English. He would treat her to waffles after their study sessions. She loved his voice. A lot. She would never get tired of them. 

Changmin, on the other hand, was her safe haven. He always took her seriously and was her outlet when things felt really heavy on her. He would never fail to make her feel lighter at the end of a Han walk. He was always so careful with her. He was a funny guy too, in his own odd way, and he never judged her for the weird topics she suddenly thought of when he was with her. And there was this weird feeling inside her gut whenever she saw him smile at her. She wasn't sure what it meant. She only knew that Changmin was the only person to make her feel that way. 

"Am I not ready to date or do I just not want to choose between the two of them?" She whispered to herself, quiet enough that Jaehee didn't hear it. She needed to think about it more. Maybe a walk at Han alone would do the trick? 

Maybe not. 

  
  


Mia found herself in a weird situation. And it was weird because of the people involved in the situation. She did not expect to see 98z by themselves at the Han River, yet there they were. She also did not expect for them to be eating ramyeon at the convenience store she went to for ice cream. 

Another odd thing? 

It was 9 PM. Way too early for idols to hang out in the open. 

She wanted to ignore them when she first saw them. She wanted to avoid them as much as possible, especially with how she thought about Kevin and Changmin. Even though the place was fairly hidden, Han River still had a lot of people strolling by and she didn't want to get caught. But of course, Kevin couldn't avoid greeting her with that cute smile of his. 

She managed to stutter a small "hello" before she tried escaping their grasps but Changmin already took hold of her and his grip told her that she had no escape. She was stuck with them until they wanted her to leave. Juyeon seemed to want to help her out but after Chanhee gave him the look, he knew he had no choice but to go along to whatever the other members wanted. 

"Why are you four here? It's still early," Mia muttered. Kevin raised an eyebrow before holding Changmin's hand, signalling him to let Mia's arm go. The poor girl might think they were taking her as hostage. 

"Practice ended early for today so we went out of fresh air and ramyeon," Chanhee answered for the group," I thought I texted you about it?"

"You didn't," Mia showed him her phone," But Hakkie did tell me you were out."

"Do you get live updates from him?" Kevin asked. Mia nodded. 

"Just a few," she timidly answered. She knew the reason why Haknyeon updated her about 98z was that she mentioned to Eric before that these four were the members she liked the most. It was his way of setting her up with someone, even though she clearly stated she didn't have time to date. And even though, unknowingly for Mia, Haknyeon was setting her up with Changmin on Chanhee's orders. 

"You're still texting Haknyeon now?" Juyeon looked surprised. Of course, he was. He didn't even text his parents that much, moreso his friends. The conversation between Haknyeon and Mia looked like a big diary if your diary was the type to answer back to you. 

"He's really clingy after all," Mia laughed a bit," I am not complaining though. Sometimes, it is cute. His stories keep my mind out of reality."

"Being obsessive is cute?" Changmin stared at her. Mia shook her head. 

"Having someone worry about me like this is kinda nice," she explained," Hak worries about me more than a lot of people do."

"He sounds like your guardian, Mia," Kevin held her shoulder. Mia knew she should be getting used to how touchy The Boyz can be but she wasn't used to having Kevin around her and she still found him cute. Chanhee, on the other hand, glanced at Changmin, who seemed to notice how nervous Mia was around Kevin. And then there's Juyeon, who's giving all of his focus on his ramyeon. 

"Anyway, enough about The Boyz," Changmin decided to change the subject," How about you, Mia? What are you doing here?" Mia raised her popsicle stick with a half-eaten ice cream. 

"They sell these cheaper here so I sometimes take an extra effort to go. I was at work before this so, yeah," she answered. She knew she was slightly lying. She was there to think about what she wanted. Did she want to have something serious or not? Did she like Kevin or Changmin? What was her feelings for Kevin? Was it admiration or something more? How did she look at Changmin? Was he only a friend to her or was she hoping something would develop between them? 

"Of course, you were," Chanhee rolled his eyes," Why don't you sit with us here? Relax a bit?"

Mia hesitated a bit before nodding. She thought about it well. Was it smart to spend time with Kevin and Changmin more? No. Was she pressured to spend time with them though? Yes. With how Chanhee orchestrated this whole thing, Mia knew she had no choice but to go according to his will. 

Meanwhile, Chanhee made sure she sat between Kevin and Changmin. He already calculated that she would sit next to Changmin. He only had to make sure there wasn't a space between Changmin and Juyeon. Luckily, Kevin had the guts to offer the exact seat Chanhee wanted to put her in. Chanhee's next step was to distract Juyeon. Sometimes, Juyeon thought out loud about what he thought the situation was and if he noticed Mia's little crush on Kevin, Chanhee knew it was game over. Plus he knew well that Changmin was pretty obvious with how… possessive he was with Mia. If Juyeon pointed this all out, Chanhee knew things would get immensely awkward among those three. 

"So what do you have in your bag?" Kevin started speaking in English, to the surprise of Changmin. The main dancer looked at Mia who answered the Canadian without a problem," Some stuff for school. I planned to read."

"You know English?" Changmin said in surprise. Mia nodded, rather proudly she could say. She shared that she took English seriously in high school and she thought that she could help more people if she got better at it. She also told Changmin that texting with Kevin was her main practice because she didn't know a lot of foreigners. 

"But I'm not that good yet. I still have the Korean accent for things," she continued. Kevin disagreed, reassuring her that she was doing a great job at English. 

"Better than Sunwoo and we've been teaching that boy English since Day 1," Kevin joked. Changmin rolled his eyes, saying Sunwoo might as well be a hopeless cause. Sunwoo was able to pick up some English words and he understood English fairly well, but he could not, for the life of his, speak the language. 

"How about Changmin-oppa?" Mia asked. Changmin smiled before laughing. 

"Should I answer that or Kevin?" he looked at Kevin who seemed to be entertained by Mia's sudden question.

"Q is doing good at the English he wants to try," Kevin answered safely," He does pick up things from V Live."

"Reminds me," Mia turned to Changmin," You love doing V Lives don't you?"

"You go on my V Lives?" Changmin sounded surprised. He knew Mia went on Kevin's V Lives and there were also Haknyeon's V Live (even though they were rare). She also watched Eric's V Lives when she had the chance and if it wasn't so deep into the night. 

"Sometimes?" Mia checked her phone," I was curious."

"Whose V Lives do you watch?" Kevin asked. Changmin didn't like it that Kevin was stealing her attention, just when the topic was about him, but he knew Kevin got along with Mia just fine. Maybe their personalities clicked? Changmin wasn't really clear on their relationship. He just knew Mia can get pretty nervous around Kevin. 

"There's Hak's... Yours, Eric's and Changmin-oppa's. Sometimes, I do watch the other members like Chanhee-oppa's V Lives and Sunwoo's, but they're usually so long," Mia answered. She then asked if they had a schedule for those V Live things. Kevin explained that sometimes they did, most times, they didn't. As long as they asked permission to go on V Live, they could. Sometimes, a member would just intrude on a V Live like Younghoon would do even though he wasn't allowed to a couple of times. 

"You can text me if you're watching when I go live," Kevin told her. Mia felt her face heat up, shaking her head. Changmin didn't like where this was going one bit. 

"Just focus on your fans, oppa," Mia muttered," I'm really fine with just watching and I do pick up some English words you say." Kevin slightly pouted but he knew Mia wouldn't budge. 

"Well, my inbox is always open for you, Mia. And you know that," Kevin reminded her. Mia nodded. When she befriended Haknyeon, she did not expect to gain how many brothers in a short amount of time. But there they were, 12 brothers basically. She didn't hate having them but she couldn't avoid getting nervous about their fans catching them. 

"If you're worrying about the deobis," Changmin caught on fairly quickly," They're pretty understanding. I haven't seen a fan who exposed who my friends are for one. So I think you're in safe hands."

"Still," Mia still looked hesitant," I just.. As a fan myself, of course, I'd envy whoever is close to the idol I like. It's a negative feeling if that person is a non-celebrity."

"Well, that's on them, to be honest," Changmin said bluntly," The friendship we share with you is between only us. Please don't forget that. Just like my friendship with Kevin is between us only, your friendship with each member shouldn't be affected by outside factors."

"Though," Kevin continued," I understand why you'd feel that way, Mia. But rely on us. I'd like it if you do. You can even ask me about your homework. I think I'm pretty good at certain areas."

"I'll keep that in mind," Mia whispered. She still worried about her relationship with The Boyz getting exposed but she was relieved to hear what they thought about it, even if it was only Changmin's and Kevin's sides. She was sure Haknyeon would call her stupid to feel that way. But she couldn't avoid it. It was one of the vulnerable sides she couldn't control. 

Meanwhile, Chanhee was observing them from the corner of his eye. He had been chatting up Juyeon since the trio started talking to each other. It wasn't suspicious at all since that was how their first conversation went: Chanhee talking about himself mostly. He thought that Kevin was doing a good job at being friendly with Mia but Changmin had shown protective tendencies towards her. It was amusing to watch his best friend get this clingy for someone else's attention. And it was also amusing to see the usually-strong Mia get all fidgety in front of Kevin. 

"Oh right, you watched our Road to Kingdom performances right?" Kevin asked. Mia nodded, telling him she always watched them as soon as they aired because Haknyeon kept reminding her and forcing her to give out criticisms if there were any. She stanned veteran performers after all, the top quality. She could see if there was something missing to their performances. And when she did notice something a little off, she would tell Haknyeon and Haknyeon would relay this to Changmin. That was one of the reasons why they improved with every performance. Haknyeon had a tough critic on his side. 

"Woah, so you also voted for us?" Changmin asked. 

"Of course, I texted your number," Mia raised a hand with the no air gesture," It was kind of relaxing not to have Hak breathing on my neck when I watched."

"So, as a thank you for your support, I wanted to give you this little crown pin," Kevin brought out something from his pocket," A little something for you. You also cheered us up during the competition."

"What? How?" Mia asked when Kevin dropped the pin in her palms," All I did was drop some snacks when I had the time at your place."

"So that was you!" Juyeon suddenly joined the conversation," I didn't know your handwriting but the letters you wrote were so sweet, Mia."

"Oh," Mia remembered dropping off support letters at their apartment complex when she passed by from her convenience store shift. She didn't see them much during the period of those competitions because of how strict their training and practices were and because of how secretive each round was. She hadn't seen them a lot at Han River and Haknyeon hadn't asked her out during the program. When Mia remembered how embarrassing those letters were, she blushed. 

"You basically gave me a confession letter, girl," Kevin jokingly slapped her arm," Made me feel like a popular jock or something."

"I hate my pink hair but thanks for telling me that it was perfect for the Shangri-La performance," Chanhee smiled at her softly," And I'd sing to you more if you pay the right price."

"You said I looked like a sculpture," Juyeon laughed," and that I looked so expensive in each performance?"

"Thanks for the warm words, Mia. Though we don't see our family a lot, it means something to have a little sister like you around," Changmin ruffled Mia's hair," Even the maknae line cried. And I heard you sent a letter to Hyunjun too?"

"We met up and I gave it to him personally..." Mia's voice trailed away. She felt really shy about it because it was her first time to send friendship letters but it felt good to hear that it helped them during a difficult period. Though the contents were definitely for the corresponding member's eyes only, she was relieved she didn't do anything unnecessary. 

"Anyway, this pin is basically us telling you that we've got your back, Mamamia, my dear. Like you had our backs as our baby sister, we have your backs as your brothers," Kevin's smile was warm. Mia felt her heart being filled by something and she didn't know what it was called. She just knew The Boyz filled a part of her heart that felt empty before getting close to them. She wanted to help others. That was her dream. But realizing she was helping this group of men before she graduated? That seemed like it was impossible, considering she wasn't anyone special. She was just treating them as what they were. People. 

"This makes me feel so soft, oppa," Mia clutched the pin," Thanks. I'm sorry we can't really flaunt our friendship like you do amongst yourselves but it does make me feel extra happy that you appreciate my presence."

"Are you going to cry?" Chanhee teased. Mia made a small "hmp" sound and shook her head. 

"I already cried when you won," Mia said," You all cried your share of tears too."

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Crying isn't wrong and I was very happy," he defended himself," It was a miracle Hoonie-hyung and Changmin didn't cry a lot, considering they did during our--"

"Shh," Changmin cut him off. It was embarrassing to remember how he was stopping himself from crying when they won first place for the first time. With his bright orange hair and how he said "it can't be", the whole ordeal was something super embarrassing to him. 

"I found his crying back then cute though," Mia commented. 

"Ooh, honey, a lot of fans do too," Chanhee whistled," Our sentimental Changminnie."

"Shut up," Changmin shot a look at Chanhee," I wanted to look cool and dignified this time."

Changmin glanced at Mia and found her staring at him. 

"What?" Changmin blurted out. 

"Mmm," Mia hummed," Nothing. You do look cool during every performance so that's a big win for you."

"A gigantic one with you saying it," Chanhee whispered to himself. 

"Did you say something, Hee?" Juyeon asked. Chanhee shook his head. 

"Nuh-uh, just noticed a mosquito," Chanhee showed a small smile at Juyeon before putting his eyes back at Mia," Can I steal Mia away for a second? I haven't been with her for so long."

"I didn't know you were that close, enough to steal her away from us like this," Changmin narrowed his eyes at Chanhee. He knew that something was up. 

"He sometimes drops by the boutique I'm working at so he's seen me at work," Mia explained. Chanhee was glad that she did. If he did, Changmin would not believe him. Chanhee stood up and went behind Mia. 

"I am the stealer," Chanhee mused, holding Mia's shoulders," You two have been hogging her from me. I think she needs more time with someone more similar to her than you two."

"If he does something weird, just call my name," Changmin said, looking quite worried but Mia shook her head. 

"I feel kind of safer with Chanhee-oppa than with you sometimes," Mia stood up. Changmin was sure she was pertaining to the pranks he sometimes did. But Chanhee knew she might be meaning something else. 

"Alright," Kevin gave her a small wave," Have fun. We'll stay here."

Changmin wanted to protest against Chanhee stealing Mia away mainly because Chanhee knew about his feelings for the young girl. He knew Chanhee had some plan inside his mind about the situation and Mia might end up knowing about Changmin's feelings. It seemed like it was a disadvantage to have Chanhee have some alone time with Mia. But before Changmin could talk, Chanhee shot him a look. It meant 'Don't mess with me or you're dead.' Changmin knew Chanhee was serious about it so he let them both go. 

Once Chanhee was sure about their distance from the other 98z, he started questioning Mia about her more... personal life. She didn't talk about her love life with any other member but Haknyeon and Chanhee. She told Haknyeon because, well, he was the closest member to her. She told Chanhee because he slowly grew into a closer brother to her than the other members due to his frequent visits at the boutique. 

"If this is about dating, you know how I feel about it," Mia said in advance," I don't want to date. I think I shouldn't for now."

"Are you sure about that?" Chanhee asked,” You did mention you wanted to date again before. Why change your mind?” 

Mia frowned for a second. 

"Are you turning into Eric or Hakkie?" Mia asked. 

"Oh no, no. Don't compare me to those two," Chanhee shook his head, almost laughing," I mean you are surrounded by available men right now. Of course, I wouldn't blame you if you chose me-"

"Oppa," Mia interrupted him before he could go on. Chanhee knew he looked good and Mia usually didn't mind that. All members of The Boyz knew they looked good. It was their trademark to be all visuals, all centers, but sometimes, they do know it too well that Mia could get irritated. 

"Anyway, really?" Chanhee went back to the topic at hand. Mia was stubborn. Chanhee was torn in between two camps. He could either stop talking about romance, considering Mia's bad past with it, or he could somehow lure Mia into talking about Changmin. Sure, everyone knew about Mia's crush on Kevin but Chanhee also knew she would never act on it. Aside from that, Kevin looked at her as a baby sister. She couldn't stand a chance against that. 

"Then let's play a little game," Chanhee proposed. Mia raised an eyebrow. 

"A game?"

"Imagine what type of boyfriend the members are! I think that would be fun," Chanhee clasped his hands," We don't exactly know what kind of boyfriend we would be, to be honest. The fans do have their own opinions but it'll be more interesting to have The Boyz' own baby sister judge."

"I am not the baby sister," Mia frowned, " Hyunjun, Sunwoo and Eric are younger than me."

"Ooh, goo, they treat you like a baby," Chanhee told her," You come to Sunwoo for your existential crises and Eric gives you housekeeping tips plus you basically work for Hyunjun." Mia sighed. 

"Fine, but it's weird," Mia was kind of awkward with the idea. Her friends as boyfriends? Plus they called themselves her brothers too. She never thought of dating them. Sure, Haknyeon was a supposed romantic interest but they have long-abandoned that journey. And okay, she considered Kevin and Changmin as boyfriends but she never tried imagining them that way before. 

"Okay, let's go by rooms, since you went to our dorm before," Chanhee sounded excited. 

Mia? She looked nervous. She knew there was a reason behind Chanhee's proposal. "Let's start with mom and dad's room," he said. 

Mia paused. She thought about it. Sangyeon and Jacob as a romantic partner? Mia started describing Sangyeon as the type to take care of his significant other. He would always make sure they ate well and remind them to take care of their health. He would also be the type that would want to be spoiled, mainly because was the spoiler most times. Since he was the leader of The Boyz, he would like it if his partner would depend on him but at the same time the partner should also be a strong support system for him. 

For Jacob, she went on, he would be the type of boyfriend his partner would want to marry. He was extremely kind and would put his partner first. He would also play on his guitar and sing to his partner a lot, sharing his latest compositions for his partner. He would also teach whatever language his partner may not be fluent in since he knew Korean and English. He would also be the type to introduce his partner to his family. 

"You say you don't want to do this but here you are, giving me vivid descriptions," Chanhee laughed," Next, let's go to the JJ room, Jaehyun-hyung and Juhaknyeon's room."

"Hmm," she started thinking. She started with Haknyeon first since she knew him well. Haknyeon would be the type to treat his significant other as his best friend. He would always ask them out to restaurants and cafes. He would give his favorite part of the meal to them. He also wouldn't be shy to show skinship and to remind his partner that he loves them everyday. Haknyeon would also be the type to introduce his partner to his family if he knew he was pretty serious with them. He would also show off his partner. 

"Why does that sound like your friendship?" Chanhee asked. 

"Well, Haknyeon is that type of person who considers the line between friendship and love blurry but," Mia smiled to herself," He would know how to reassure his partner that they're special to him. I think he would be great at that."

"Why not date him then?"

"Why don't you date him if you're that concerned?"

"Mia... Nyeonnie said he was straight," Chanhee whistled," So you'd be the candidate."

"Rather not," she laughed," We don't agree on a lot of things and we know we're better off not dating. Aside from that, I think he's on a mission to set me up with someone else."

_ 'Yeah, and that someone is Ji Changmin. I swear to god if Haknyeon slips up with the name...'  _ Chanhee thought while nodding at Mia. He then encouraged her to continue on to Jaehyun. 

"Jaehyun-oppa... he is what his stage name is, a present," Mia started. Jaehyun, according to Mia, would be the type to always make sure his partner would be smiling. He would bombard his partner with messages and sweet nothings. But when needed, Jaehyun can be pretty serious. When his partner needed a shoulder to cry one, Jaehyun would be open to comfort them. He would even spoil them. Aside from that, Jaehyun could also be the type to go on playdates with his partner, like to the arcades or computer shops. 

"So far, which kind of boyfriend fits you the most?" Chanhee asked. Mia thought for a second before answering that she wasn't sure but Jaehyun's and Sangyeon's dependability would help her a lot when she needed someone to rely on. Chanhee nodded as an acknowledgement for the answer and noted it in his head that Mia would like someone she could depend on.

"Next would be Hoonie-hyung and Juyeon's room," Chanhee continued with the list of members. Mia, once again, paused for an answer. She realized she wasn't close to both members, mainly because she considered their personalities to be awkward with her. 

"Huh, I don't know them that well," she blurted out loud," I should improve on that."

"They're fun to be friends with, Mia," Chanhee shared," Eric's the closest to Juyeon and Younghoon-hyung is one of the members I am closest with. If our personalities work out, I think you'll be good friends with those two."

"Both oppas are so serious, to be honest," Mia pouted a bit. 

"As if you aren't," Chanhee rolled his eyes," Both of them don't bite so I can assure you they'll be open to getting close to you. You're close to Changmin after all! That one really bites."

"He hasn't bitten me--"

"Yet," Chanhee's voice obviously told Mia that Changmin didn't care if one was male or female. He could terrorize anyone he wanted. 

"That sounds scary," Mia reacted. Chanhee nodded with a low whisper," It is." He then pushed Mia to go back to their original topic, Juyeon and Younghoon as boyfriends. 

She started off with Juyeon. He would be the type of boyfriend who would take the relationship seriously. Sure, he did look like a fuck boy but his heart looked like the purest thing in the world. Aside from that, dates would consist of jogging by Han River or gym dates. Or maybe library dates. He would also pull his partner close to him if he felt like they were making a distance between them. He would also be a sucker for couple items, like couple shoes and couple bracelets. Juyeon would be one of the cutest boyfriends ever. 

Younghoon, on the other hand, already had one of the cutest personalities Mia had ever encountered. If he was a boyfriend, he would make sure that his partner would feel safe around him. And how could they not be? He was so tall. Eric was already taller than Mia. What more about Younghoon? Talking with Younghoon would mean conversations about the wildest things like aliens and unicorns. He would also be the type to accidentally use aegyo to get a kiss from his partner. But once Younghoon got jealous, a lot of this warmth would freeze up and he would be the type to give a cold shoulder to his significant other. 

"I am assuming you watched our Generation Z video?" Chanhee looked at Mia. She could only assume the last part if she watched the video after all. The Generation Z film was one of the most personal peeks into who the members were. Even some parts of the other members were surprising to Chanhee so it was a very interesting project for all of them.

"Mhm," Mia nodded," Don't tell Sangyeon-oppa this but he looked extra good in the video."

"Oh god, I won't," Chanhee promised," And it'll be weird coming from me. Any other member caught your eye?"

"The 2000 line looked really mature," Mia answered," But it suited them. They really do have the fire of youth."

"You're just a year older than them. Why do you sound like that," Chanhee laughed," Surprised with Sunwoo's lip ring?"

"Of course! How did they make him agree to do that?" She stared at Chanhee. The idol explained that Sunwoo protested against the lip ring but the stylists convinced him that his fans would love it. As a fool for Deobis, the rapper agreed, telling himself it was only fake. 

"He did take it off as soon as he was done though," Chanhee added. 

"Such a shame. You do lurk on Twitter sometimes to see their reaction right?" Mia asked. 

"Usually, it's Kevin who does that. I think I know what our fans think about us though," Chanhee chuckled," You're changing the topic again!"

"Well, I think I know which room is next," Mia said as she looked up," MoonSunKyu, right?"

"Yeah," Chanhee noted, noticing how uneasy and shy Mia looked," Do I see some interest in the roommates? Which one? Kevin, perhaps?"

"I am unashamedly a Kevin stan," Mia said before laughing at herself," But he is currently my favorite member. That's why I feel kind of shy talking about him like that?"

"Oh, don't be!" Chanhee shook his head," Fans do this thing all the time so go on and say your assumptions. They're all interesting, in my humble opinion."

"Okay.. " Mia hesitantly agreed to the setup and continued. She started with the maknae of the room, Sunwoo. She guessed he would be an ideal boyfriend. Based on his activeness on social media, he would always send his partner pictures of himself and would never lack the effort to show his love for them. He would be so loyal and do anything for his partner. He could get very protective of his significant other and could be the jealous type but he would trust his partner well with his heart. He would love to tease his partner but would immediately reconcile with them after with hugs and kisses. 

"Imagining him as a boyfriend makes me want to date him," Mia realized. 

"Sunwoo is one of the popular members for Deobis," Chanhee pointed out," And to be honest, he does get on my nerves sometimes but Sunwoo is a good boy."

Mia agreed. There were many times before that she had consulted Sunwoo with her own personal problems, problems that may seem too much for Haknyeon and Changmin. She trusted Sunwoo when it came to being logical. He would frame her problem in a way that she could see most of the consequences. She could even admit Sunwoo was a stand-in for a proper therapist. 

She went with Kevin next, just to get him off her mind. Kevin would be the type to always joke with his significant other. He would always make them laugh and smile. He would also send the corniest pick-up lines and react to them himself. Kevin would also do all kinds of art things for his partner, like paintings and digital art. He would have matching items with them that he designed with his partner. He would also love museum dates! Kevin would tell his partner about certain art pieces while walking around the museum with them. But, with all sweetness aside, he might save the number of his significant other as "baby yonce" or something inspired by his favorite artist. 

This was what Chanhee waited for. She was about to describe Changmin as a boyfriend. This could give him a good idea as to what Mia thought of the main dancer. Chanhee knew Changmin was hopeless in things like this and he was sort of an idealist. The type to say "First love dies because it's the first one. If it was the last love, it wouldn't die." While Changmin was still fussing over his own feelings for Mia, Chanhee knew it was better if he knew both sides of the coin. 

"Changmin-oppa... Huh," Mia paused," I realized that I don't really have a nickname for him. Like we're almost as close as Hakkie and I and yet..."

"If you could call him a nickname, what would it be?" Chanhee asked. 

"I don't really know to be honest. I think that's why he doesn't have a nickname. You already call him Minnie, right?" 

"Yeah," Chanhee raised an eyebrow," You want to give him a nickname that only you would call him?" Mia was kind of flustered by what Chanhee said. Was that what she implied? She didn't know. 

"I mean, it's special because the members call him that and the fans too. I'm not exactly in that clique of you as idols," Mia hurriedly explained. Chanhee thought she was bad at making excuses but he let it go. 

"Anyways, how do you think Changmin will fare as a boyfriend?" Chanhee tried going back to their original topic. Mia seemed to distance herself from thinking about Kevin, making herself more comfortable and continued with thinking about Changmin as a significant other. 

"Changmin-oppa would definitely be the type to introduce his partner to his family, especially if he is serious," Mia started. She went on to describe Changmin as the type to tease his partner so much and laugh at them but he would say sorry if he went too far. Dates would include walking around nature, like rivers and mountains, and going to artsy places. Changmin would be the type to apologize to his partner if he was too busy because he would put his dreams first before his relationship. He knew his priorities after all. He would also be the type to either go on horror movie dates or children's movie dates. According to his social media activities, he would be the type to either spam his significant other's inbox or he would reply in the shortest way possible. Changmin would also use aegyo to get what he wanted but he would usually be pretty, in a general societal definition, masculine. 

"Masculine?" Chanhee asked," Do you mean like a sangnamja*?"

"Mhm," Mia nodded slowly," That does add a bit of depth into him as a boyfriend. He will definitely keep things interesting."

"You make it sound like Minnie's a fictional character," Chanhee laughed," Well, he sometimes acts like one. A Junji Ito type of character."

"That's scary," Mia shivered," Who's left? You and Eric right?"

"This is exciting," Chanhee whistled," How do you view me as a boyfriend?"

"I think you're a high maintenance type."

When Mia said this, Chanhee suddenly frowned. She laughed at his reaction before she continued. Chanhee, as a boyfriend, would equal cafe to dates and shopping dates. There will be a lot of couple outfits that don't match perfectly but would be complementary with each other. Chanhee would also sing a lot to his significant other. Rather than being the one who teases his partner, Chanhee would be the victim of their jokes. Chanhee would also spoil his partner with gifts. Mia also emphasized couple pictures with Chanhee. The photos would be at the same level as those that go viral on Instagram. 

"I think your partner would be the subject of many New Shots," Mia swooned," Maybe you are my ideal type."

"You're flattering me!" Chanhee fanned himself," I admit I love the attention, Miss Mia, but I am not for sale."

"I don't intend to buy, Sir Chanhee," Mia smiled at him," I love window shopping."

"Maybe you should go to the store and buy something for once," Chanhee suggested. Mia rolled her eyes, going back into the topic. 

She described Eric as a first love type of boyfriend. Everything would feel like it's the first time with Eric so there would be times that moments could feel clumsy. He would be so clingy with his partner like he is with The Boyz and Deobis. He would spam his significant other with messages like "hey" and "Eric loves you the most." He would also be very protective of his partner! He would be the type to pull his partner close when they're on a date or give his jacket to his partner when they're out.

"Out of all of that," Chanhee said," Who do you want to date?"

"Why give that hypothetical? As if there's a chance that would happen," Mia laughed. Chanhee pointed out Haknyeon once again, how they almost went out. She acknowledged it as a fair point and had no choice but to answer.

"I won't tell the others about your answer, Mia," Chanhee pat his chest twice," Your secret's safe with Choi Chanhee."

"Hmmm," Mia thought about it for a second," I think dating Sunwoo, Jaehyun-oppa... Kevin-oppa and you would fit me best."

"I'm not asking who would fit you best," Chanhee reiterated the question," I'm asking who you want to date. Want. Don't think about compatibility. Think of the fun of the relationship."

"If it's about fun then Kevin-oppa or Changmin-oppa," Mia answered quickly, knowing she just exposed herself," It's fun to be with Kevin-oppa! He's always joking about something or thinking about a new topic for our conversations. Meanwhile, Changmin-oppa will keep me on my toes always because I can't predict him well."

"Ugh, same," Chanhee groaned," I don't know what goes on in his mind sometimes. It's either Gana or horror movies or dancing or whatever conspiracy he thinks of."

"Anyway," Mia shifted her eyes," This isn't some ploy to set me up again, right?"

"No! Of course not," Chanhee shook his head. He already ordered Haknyeon about that so technically, Chanhee wasn't the one setting them up. Haknyeon did. Changmin didn't know that either. It was as if Chanhee was the director of this whole show. 

"Okay," Mia looked uneasy but she trusted Chanhee. She didn't want to doubt him too much since that wouldn't result in anything. It was better to let it go. 

After Mia and Chanhee's walk by the Han, they went back to the convenience store. They found the three other members of 98z getting into a ramyeon eating contest, as seen by the cups of ramyeon by Juyeon's side. 

"To think that we starved before," Chanhee rolled his eyes. 

When they approached the trio, they all greeted them in their own ways. Juyeon waved his hand, still with remnants of the ramyeon around his mouth. Kevin raised an eyebrow before waving and saying a little "hey." Changmin was staring at them and Chanhee could see the anger in the former's eyes. Instead of acknowledging the anger, Chanhee laughed and pulled Mia closer to him, whispering,

"You can’t believe it but I know someone who likes you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sangnamja - manly; real man 


	14. Fourteen

It had been the morning after Mia met up with the 98z. And she was still thinking about what Chanhee said. She would be lying if she said she wasn't bothered by it. 

_'Someone likes me..?'_

She thought to herself. She knew she shouldn't be distracted with this. She had to focus on her classes, especially that she had papers due on that day. 

"Yah," Jaehee frowned when she noticed her best friend was already not listening to her," Earth to Mi? Are we still on the same page?"

"Sort of?" Mia finally snapped out of it. Jaehee rolled her eyes and stopped walking. 

"Girl, if something's bothering you, better fess up," she said, not moving from her place," I know everything about you so no use hiding any secrets from me."

"Just thinking about something," Mia said," It's been bothering me but maybe it doesn't mean anything."

"Or it might!" Jaehee wrapped her arm around Mia's," Is this about The Boyz again?"

"How'd you know?" Mia asked. 

Jaehee just smiled at her knowingly. 

"Yes, it is about them," Mia confessed," Chanhee-oppa said something that really... I don't know if I should believe it. It sounds impossible when I think about it. "

"Chanhee, huh... " Jaehee tried remembering Chanhee's face because they never met personally but Mia did show her pictures of Chanhee before. "The one who had pink hair before? Umm... Pretty eyes? Same age as that Changmin guy?"

"Yep, perfect," Mia gave a thumbs up," He said someone likes me..? Like what does.."

"Ooh," Jaehee nodded," So you think he meant a member likes you?"

"I mean! That's impossible, right?" Mia knitted her brows together," There was this thing with Hakkie but we're sure of our feelings as friendship. Nothing more, nothing less."

"What about the others? You talk to other members right? You even considered Kevin and Changmin as prime candidates for your next boyfriend" Jaehee started interrogating her. She knew who the member was because of Haknyeon but she would never outright expose another person's feelings. Mia answered her questions sincerely. It was obvious that Mia had no clue which member liked her. If Jaehee was in her shoes too, she would not really have a clue. All of the members had their own connection with their “little sister”.

"So who do you think?" Mia asked. Jaehee shrugged. 

"I'm not sure? Let's just hope this will all be in your favor then. Cross fingers it's either one of the two. "

"What did you tell her, Hee?"

Changmin asked as he was stretching his legs in the practice room. The duo decided it was a good time for them to build their skills while they were resting. They did go out with the members before but the two of them knew they shouldn't leave their skills stagnant. And that meant going to the company and self-training. 

"Who?" Chanhee turned his head to Changmin. He was busy choosing songs to listen to his friend. Changmin repeated the question and Chanhee gave out a soft "Ah."

"Nothing," Chanhee chimed, finally choosing the first Pick Me song of the whole Produce series," Just making conversation, you know? My relationship with Mia does not revolve around you."

"Oh, it does now," Changmin scoffed," After I told you how I felt? Your relationship with her does circle around me."

"You are a greedy little boy," Chanhee stuck out his tongue," I just told her to watch out basically. We can't have little Mimi dense about what's happening to her. Don't forget the fact that she is extra close to Nyeonnie and Youngjae sometimes so she could discount any moves you make as being friendly."

"I'm sure she will continue being dense, Hee," Changmin sighed," She's the type that should be confessed to."

"Then confess," Chanhee stood up, approaching Changmin's area," Confess while you haven't laid the groundwork for the dating phase. Then she'll reject you then you'll cry."

"I don't like her to the point I'll cry when she-"

"Trust me, Min," Chanhee winked," You will. I know you enough to know that."

"Mia's just a girl," Changmin sighed," And I should focus on my career instead. We live in two different worlds. She's a student and I'm a working man."

"Those aren't too different, to be honest. We both live with Haknyeon and he's in a similar situation as Mia. He works and studies in university, yet you still maintain a close friendship with him," Chanhee argued," You're just making excuses."

"I'm too busy!" Changmin didn't know how to handle his feelings for this girl. 

He did like her. Enough to want to date her but was that enough? 

And did she like him too? 

Would he be willing to put their friendship at stake if it meant being involved with her romantically? 

He didn't know the answers to his own questions. 

"Idols bigger than us have time to date. You just have to find someone who can understand your line of work. With how Mia has been supporting us these past months, I think we can say she knows the real world meaning of an idol," Chanhee reasoned. 

He was ready to pull out Changmin from this head space that stopped him from acting upon his feelings. 

"No other member knows of your feelings and you don't know how they feel about her. If you don't pull your shit together, she might go to another member, " Chanhee raised an eyebrow," Do you want that?"

"No.. " Changmin weakly said. 

The scenario wasn't impossible. She was in good terms with all the members, even though she wasn't close to each one. They all had their complaints about her, of course, but they always complained like a big brother would. That was the image Changmin was keeping up with them too. But he wasn't sure if the other members had romantic intentions with Mia. They didn't really talk about that. It was as if the younger ones were the only members eager to get into the dating scene. 

"If that's the case, make a move," Chanhee stared at Changmin's confused face," Mia seems like she wouldn't pursue Kevin romantically. So everyone's fair game to her. I have no clue if she really likes any of us more than brothers at this point. If you don't act soon, you'll be brother-zoned before you know it."

Chanhee talked as if he was a military strategist. And Changmin was all ears during all of this. 

He tried noting everything Chanhee said in his brain. But he wasn't sure if he could pull it off. Mia looked like she didn't want to date but her drunk self admitted she was taking steps into entering a relationship. Plus that talk they had at Han River about dating only led him to hope for more. 

Changmin knew that the dating scene was complicated but he didn't know he needed Chanhee talking his ears off about it. 

"How'd you know all of this?" Changmin asked. Chanhee shrugged. 

"Dramas," he timidly answered," Don't judge. I also gauge Mia myself when I hang out with her."

"Is that a valid source?"

"Don't talk to me about sources, flat earther," Chanhee raised his hand with his palm facing Changmin," And I also watch web dramas. You can say they portray romance... more realistically."

"You have a lot of time, don't you, Hee?" 

"I don't sleep well sometimes, Minnie," Chanhee chuckled," Anyway, let's train. I don't want to waste my time talking about romance. We're adults! Not teens."

"Sure," Changmin rolled his eyes," You seemed to like it though."

"It's funny watching you get all stupid for a girl!" Chanhee chimed," Ji Changmin, great at picking up girls with his dance but bad at making a move to a girl he wants."

"Oh," Changmin turned pink with both anger and embarrassment," Shut up, Hee, or I'll make you dance a difficult choreography today as training."

"Sir Changmin," Chanhee sarcastically said, raising his hands in the air as a sign of defeat," Spare me. Not dancing!"

Mia frowned a bit as she scrolled through the pictures she saved of The Boyz. She knew she was a Deobi. She didn't know how long it had been since she embraced that title and fandom but there she was. She even applied for their fancafe. But it was odd to fangirl about her friends. She did, occasionally, talk about the visuals of Bermuda or their talents, but she could never go full fangirl on them. It was a weird feeling if she did. 

Haknyeon was her go-to person for binging and food trips. Sunwoo was the wise man she asked for life advice. Eric was a perfect addition to her university friend group because of how much of an extrovert he was. Hyunjun was someone she met regularly for his photoshoots. Chanhee was the person whom she talked about her personal life with. Kevin, even though he was her muse, was her English coach. Same went for Jacob. She wasn't that close with Juyeon and Younghoon but she knew those two were the naturally funniest people she met. Jaehyun and Sangyeon were perfect fits to be her older brothers, having a clumsy and childish side while also being serious when needed to be. They would protect her with all their might. Sangyeon literally called her as one of his children at one point.

And then there was Changmin. He was an odd mix, to be honest. She told him very personal parts of her past before and she wasn't sure why. He always caught her at the perfect time. Maybe because of how Han River made her feel sentimental. She did not know for sure. But at the same time, Changmin could be such an annoying person, like an annoying brother? He would tease her and scare her a lot. He would point out her height or squeeze her arm and tell her she was Haknyeon's long lost sister. Mia knew Changmin always meant well with her because otherwise, Sangyeon would tell him off. 

But the frown she had on her face was not because of The Boyz specifically, but the possibility that her relationship with them might change. Chanhee's words were very suggestive. She was really bothered by them. Of course it meant a member liked her. Who could that someone be after all? 

Mia knew Chanhee was clueless about her school life. It was a women's university and she was not sure if she mentioned sexual orientation with him before. 

He wasn't familiar with every job she was in. She did change jobs a few times. 

What Chanhee knew well were his members. And Mia was sure it was about the members. 

"Who is it? My head's a rollercoaster now," Mia muttered, turning off her phone. She didn't know what to do if her hunch was correct. Answering the feelings of a member, whether she rejected him or accepted these feelings, would mean a big shift in her relationship with the others. They would keep their distance to avoid conflict. And she didn't want that. Mia wanted to maintain her sibling-kind of relationship with The Boyz. 

"Noona?" Hyunjun peeked at her after they finished the first set of photos," Are you okay?"

"Junnie," was all Mia could say. Hyunjun sat beside her and stretched on the sofa. 

"If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine by me," the younger said calmly," But nothing will happen if you bottle it up."

"I know," she whispered," But maybe I'm just delusional, y'know?"

"Delusional? You tell me that? I used to be a member who always hoped he could get back to the group when I stayed in Cre.ker," Hyunjun chuckled," I think nothing's bad about thinking about something that seems impossible."

"It is bad if it is about dating," Mia sighed," I don't want to think about this. I really don't."

"But you can't avoid it?" 

Mia weakly nodded. She already established that she retired from dating while she was still in college. She promised herself she'd get back into the game after graduating. Yes, she did have that period when she said she was ready to date again but it felt like a bluff, a lie she told herself. What other meaning did Chanhee have anyway when he said that? 

"Noona, if your time to date has come, you can't do anything about it," Hyunjun said," If you're against the idea, well, I can't force you, but if you like someone, what's stopping you?"

"Emotional baggage and lack of time?" Mia sighed," I can't handle getting into a relationship right now."

"Just try it out," Hyunjun messed up Mia's hair before standing up," You won't know unless you try. You don't want to miss out on a possible soulmate."

"Soulmates aren't really real.. " Mia wanted to say but she saw how sincere Hyunjun's smile was and she couldn't just say that in front of him. She sighed. 

"Alright, if you say so, Hyunjun."

  
  


"Look who we bumped into," Chanhee mused when he noticed Mia and Hyunjun in a cafe. The two just finished the photoshoot and Hyunjun waited for Mia who was part of the crew cleaning up the place. He asked her out for coffee since she looked like she needed the break. Mia couldn't really refuse free things and she trusted Hyunjun so she agreed. 

Chanhee looked back at Changmin, who was visibly jealous at the sight. He was frowning and his eyebrows were knitted together. He was also squeezing Chanhee's arm to the point that the latter wanted to cry out loud. 

With the two were Sunwoo and Jacob, visibly unaware of the emotional reaction Changmin had. Instead of avoiding Hyunjun and Mia, they suggested joining them. They were going to get coffee anyway. It was better to bond with them. 

"And what if they're on a date?" Chanhee said, getting a death glare from Changmin," I mean, it's just the two of them."

"Then you call her food trips with Haknyeon-hyung as dates?" Sunwoo pointed out," And you call what the four of us are doing as a double date?"

"I agree with Sunwoo for once," Changmin nodded. Jacob shrugged. 

"It could be, it could not be... " Jacob weighed the choices," We can just ask them if we can join them then we can ask them if it's a date."

"That's not a smart idea, hyung, and this is why," Chanhee inhaled deeply," If we go there and interrupt their date, there's no going back. They might be hiding it from us."

"And you say I'm a conspiracy theory addict," Changmin rolled his eyes," Why not text her and ask her what she's doing?"

"I already did," Sunwoo raised his phone," and it looks like she just received it."

Changmin turned his head back to the two in the cafe and watched Mia reply to the text. Soon, Sunwoo's phone rang. 

"She said she's out with Hyunjun," Sunwoo said after he read the text. 

"We see that," Jacob rolled his eyes. 

"And said Hyunjun treated her to coffee as thanks," Sunwoo continued. 

"She did say before she sometimes worked for Hyunjun's photoshoots," Chanhee pointed out," That's how they met, right?"

"Yeah," Changmin nodded," Well, if it's not a date, we can join them."

Sunwoo clasped his hands, visibly excited. He missed Hyunjun a lot and he didn’t have the chance to hang out with Mia recently. She always hung out with Haknyeon and Eric. Sometimes, with Changmin. Sunwoo always wondered why she didn't hang out with him even though he was also part of the maknae line. 

The four of them entered the cafe without being noticed by Mia and Hyunjun at first. They were too preoccupied with each other. Changmin didn't like how focused Mia was with Hyunjun. He didn't want to admit he felt jealousy because admitting it would mean that he liked her even more. 

' _If you don't pull your shit together, she might go to another member_ ' echoed in Changmin's mind. Chanhee was right that it was possible but Changmin didn't want to believe it. Seeing it happen in front of him was different. And it was the one who was least in his sight and he had the least information about his schedule. 

"Yah!" Sunwoo greeted the two of them," You didn't tell us you two were going out."

"Noona seemed like she needed some rest so I forced her to," Hyunjun reasoned," And it's not like I asked her out. We were working in the same photoshoot before this."

"Did you come here alone?" Mia asked, looking at the counter," I guess not. The soulmates are together."

"Not all of us but yeah," Sunwoo shrugged, turning his head in the same direction," If you don't mind, noona, can we sit with you?"

"Sure!" Mia stood up but Hyunjun signalled for her to stay on her seat. 

"We can arrange the chairs on our own, noona," he told her, helping Sunwoo carry the table and chairs nearest to them. Mia wasn't used to being served. She was used to being the server but it didn't feel bad being taken care of by a few handsome men. 

After the other members got their orders, they went to where Mia, Hyunjun and Sunwoo were. Sunwoo decided to sit next to Hyunjun, just to catch up with him as a fellow 00 liner. Chanhee made sure to have Changmin sit next to Mia by sitting on the chair at the end, leaving the middle chair empty. Jacob, who was the last to sit down, sat next to Sunwoo. Basically, the seating arrangements were Mia, Changmin then Chanhee on one side and Hyunjun, Sunwoo and Jacob on the other. 

"We just saw each other yesterday," Mia pointed out, looking at both Chanhee and Changmin. 

"Around evening too," Changmin added. 

Chanhee rolled his eyes, thinking 'Nice conversation continuation, Minnie. '

"By the way, Chanhee-oppa, what did you mean.. " Mia's voice trailed off, remembering that Changmin was between them. She covered her mouth and shook her head. 

"What, Mia? The thing I told you?" Chanhee laughed at her reaction, telling her that Changmin knew what he told her. 

"Do you know who Chanhee-oppa is talking about, Changmin-oppa?" Mia asked. Changmin shrugged. He didn't like lying to her about it but he had to. 

"I don't understand him for most of the time. Sometimes, he makes things up, " Changmin said, making Chanhee roll his eyes. 

"You're the mystery among us here. I don't know how you tick, Mr. Ji Changmin," Chanhee commented. 

Mia agreed. Changmin was the biggest mystery for her within The Boyz. He was a fluff ball and a nightmare. Mia was relieved she didn't live with them or she couldn't handle Changmin's collection of creepy things he called 'cute'. 

Sunwoo tapped his finger in Mia's direction suddenly which made the trio look at the maknae. 

"Don't hog her all to yourself," Sunwoo whined," Next to Jacob-hyung, I see noona the least!"

"It's because you don't go out much, Woo," Mia chuckled," But if you want, we can go to the arcade sometimes. Of course, when we're both free. We can bring Jaehyun-oppa and Eric too."

"You'll surely be a noisy group," Jacob commented," But that sounds fun and annoying."

"Putting Eric and Hyunjae-hyung and games together?" Changmin sounded unsure about it," Are you sure you can handle the energy?"

"I already did before. Don't you remember? I can do it again after that, " Mia looked determined about it. Sunwoo also liked the idea. But he was sure Eric would hog all her attention because they were closer. They even drink together sometimes. Sunwoo wasn't sure why he wasn't invited much to get togethers. Maybe because Mia knew he didn't drink. 

"Anyway," Hyunjun cleared his throat," How about you ask the hyungs for advice, noona?"

"No, no, no, Jun-ah," Mia shook her head rather in a panic. At that moment, the four members were invested. Of course, they'd be more invested in a problem Mia was unwilling to share. 

"I thought I'm the one asking you for advice," Sunwoo pouted," And now it's Hwall?"

"It was a he-was-the-nearest-person-to-me kind of situation, Woo," Mia reasoned," I was getting distracted by something while I was at work."

"That's rare," Chanhee whistled," You're sure you don't want to share it with us?"

"No," Mia firmly said," I don't want to involve you in this silly problem. Junnie is another story."

"You're playing favorites," Jacob chimed," But I don't want to force you if you don't want to tell us. We can wait until you're ready."

Changmin was really curious about what was bothering Mia, to the point she didn't even want to tell Sunwoo about it and Sunwoo was her life advice coach. He then noticed the sly smile on Chanhee's face in contrast with the slightly pink cheeks Mia had. 

"I'm assuming Chanhee-hyung's the cause because his face is all," Sunwoo started copying Chanhee's facial expression. 

Chanhee frowned at Sunwoo and lightly snapped at him, " Yah, it's always my fault with you."

"So I'm not wrong?" Sunwoo asked. Chanhee rolled his eyes. The younger member turned back to Mia and asked "Am I right? It's hyung's fault?"

"Hmm," Mia thought for a second before answering "You can say that."

"Oh no, New-yah, what did you do to Mia," Jacob gasped," to make her feel like that?"

"I didn't do anything, " Chanhee raised both of his hands up," I only told her what is already happening. Just the facts."

"If it is what I think it is," Hyunjun looked at the both of them," I won't say much until what I'm guessing will happen."

"Since I told Jun about my worries, he knows," Mia sighed," I'm hoping it won't."

Chanhee squeezed Changmin's leg, giving him a sign to say something about the situation. But Changmin received it as a declaration of Chanhee annoying him. Hence, what would Ji Changmin do? He squeezed 

Chanhee's leg back, but harder. 

"Ow!" Chanhee muttered," I swear you're so stupid sometimes."

"Don't you mean--"

Changmin shot Sunwoo a look. All of the people knew how that sentence would end but Changmin preferred not to hear it, especially with a looming secret above his head. He still wanted to know what Mia was bothered with, whatever it was. And he felt stupid not getting the hints being thrown at him. 

"Well, whatever's bothering you, I hope it will disappear," Jacob said, smiling at her. Chanhee agreed wholeheartedly in his mind. Changmin could be a hopeless case. But he didn't want to give up his friend's shot at happiness. And it'll only hurt him more if he missed it. 

"Noona," Sunwoo called for her attention," Don't be afraid to consult me, okay? Your forehead's all scrunched up with worrying."

"Thanks, Woo, I really appreciate that," Mia hummed," It isn't a big problem yet. Only a worry. As long as nothing happens from it. ."

"Oh ho, something will happen," Chanhee scoffed, eyeing Changmin," I'm sorry, Mia, but the thing I told you is stuck in time."

"What's with you and these innuendoes," Changmin pointed out. Chanhee sighed. That was the only moment that the main dancer understood what his friend meant. Mia was worried about a member liking her because of what Chanhee said. And it was happening. 

"Anyway!" Jacob clasped his hands," How's uni life recently, Mia? Do you need help with certain journals? Like I can translate some for you."

"You're so nice, oppa," Mia swooned," I'll call you if there's an English journal that I don't really understand, but so far, I can handle my references on my own."

"Any other worry other than the... " Hyunjun's voice slowly faded," How about Jaehee-noona and the others?"

"Hee's still living her life as if she isn't a junior already!" Mia frowned before laughing," At least she passes her requirements on time. That's been very difficult for me recently."

"Why?" Changmin asked," Are you overworking yourself?"

"There's no such thing as overworking me," Chanhee said, copying how Mia always said it. 

"Hey!" Mia shot a glare at Chanhee," I have lots of energy, y'know."

"You do eat a lot, noona," Sunwoo pointed out," The food has to go somewhere."

"But I hate that you lack sleep," Hyunjun frowned," I'm worried."

"I'm still alive now so," Mia reassured Hyunjun," Anyway, once I graduate, my life will hopefully feel looser than now."

"I have a question, Mia," Jacob said," Isn't it weird to be basically hanging out with only us in your free time? How about your university friends?"

"Trust me, Hee's jealous," Mia showed a small smile," I miss them, to be honest, but our schedules don't really jive? We did hang out a lot during the break but with classes ongoing now... I rarely see them, especially Sena-eonni. She's so busy with it being her senior year."

"I hope you don't get bored of us," Changmin said. 

"I can't believe you're the one saying that," Chanhee laughed," Mia mentioned before you're the one keeping her on her toes."

"What? Why?" Changmin asked. Chanhee nodded at Mia to explain her side and Mia took the cue better than Changmin ever could. 

"I guess it comes with your duality? Sometimes, you are really serious about things and then sometimes, you're a trickster. Sometimes, you're scarier than hell itself. Other times, you are the cutest little bean," Mia explained," I can't guess what you would do next, to be honest."

'You can't guess how he feels too, with that fakeass smile on his face sometimes,' Chanhee thought to himself. Changmin seemed to read Chanhee's mind at that moment because he lightly stepped on Chanhee's foot on purpose, which caused the latter to jump in his seat. 

"But that doesn't mean the other members are boring to be with though! " Mia looked at each person she was with," All do have surprising sides to them. It's just that-"

"We know," Hyunjun shrugged," You don't need to explain, noona. Hyung's pretty unpredictable in my opinion too. And Eric's so afraid of him."

"And I don't understand why," Changmin shrugged. 

"Boy, you react with a fight sequence rather than a flight one. No wonder Eric's scared," Jacob chimed," And I'm sure Eric's not the only one scared out of his wits of you."

"Mia?" Changmin turned to her," Are you scared of me?"

Mia nodded, which made Changmin groan internally and Chanhee laugh. 

"Who wouldn't be?" Sunwoo scoffed, sipping his frappe," I mean, you are a horror movie turned into a person? That feeling?"

"I'm being attacked like this when I did nothing," Changmin defended himself. Hyunjun and Mia rolled their eyes at him. 

"Sure, you didn't," Hyunjun said sarcastically," Anyway, shouldn't noona go home now? Your sister might get worried."

"Yeah," Mia nodded," She's been stressed with her freshman experience so she needs me more than ever."

"Hana's a freshman already?" Jacob whistled," Which school does she go to?"

"Oh," Mia shrugged, standing up," I'd prefer to keep where Hana studies a secret. But I can say that it's a normal public school."

"This reminds me of something," Changmin clicked his tongue," What's with you and keeping schools a secret? "

"Let me have some mysteries about my life, Ji Changmin," Mia slyly smiled at him," Anyways, I have to go! Hana needs me. It has been fun spending time with you, Boyz."

"Noona, don't leave us," Sunwoo whined. Mia ruffled his hair, saying "Text me when you want to talk to me. I reply quickly in my opinion."

"Sunwoo rarely makes the first move," Chanhee commented. Sunwoo shot a glare at the older member. 

"Then I'll just drop a message when I can, Woo," Mia said. 

"See you next week, noona? I'm working at that studio again," Hyunjun raised his hand for a high five. Mia received that high five and smiled at him. 

"Glad to work with you again, Junnie," she hummed," I hope it isn't something... revealing again."

Changmin darted his eyes from Mia to Hyunjun. Hyunjun seemed to be chill about the revealing photo shoots since those weren't new to him but Mia seeing Hyunjun in that way... Changmin didn't like the idea of it. He passed his hand over his stomach and felt that it was solid in his opinion but his abs were babies compared to Hyunjun's. The younger did go to the gym regularly. 

"Where's my goodbye?" Chanhee frowned at Mia. The latter rushed behind Chanhee and gave him a back hug, putting her head over his. 

"Oppa, I'll miss you," Mia pouted. 

Changmin couldn't avoid noticing how her tone changed with Chanhee. It was softer. It seemed like she did view Chanhee as an older brother more than she viewed the others as one. And there was this vulnerability in her tone? Changmin wasn't sure if he was analyzing her correctly. 

"When's your next shift at the boutique? I'll make sure to pass by," Chanhee looked up to her," You still haven't told me everything about you know who after all. And I'll tell you about my ulzzang life in exchange. "

"Oh, don't be too nosy, oppa," Mia pinched Chanhee's nose," I'll text you my shift as soon as my boss tells me."

Changmin wasn't nervous about saying goodbye... until Mia turned her head towards him. She smiled at him, while still holding Chanhee in her arms. 

"Jealous?" Chanhee teased, raising his eyebrow," She does skinship to select members after all."

Changmin always found it odd whenever he was reminded of that. Mia exercised skinship with only a few members: Chanhee, Haknyeon, Eric and Hyunjun. She did touch other members occasionally but the way she treated the members Changmin listed in his mind was different. She had some kind of aegyo when she was with them, and Changmin was slightly jealous of that. He was the second closest member to Mia after all. Haknyeon treated Changmin as his replacement when he was too busy. 

But why didn't she touch him as much as she did the others? 

"Oof," Changmin shook his head," I'm not jealous."

"I am," Sunwoo frowned," I want a hug from noona too!"

Changmin forgot to consider Sunwoo. Though they rarely hung out, Sunwoo was really clingy with Mia. And Mia did reciprocate this clinginess, but not always. She was still not that comfortable with Sunwoo, especially that she treated him as a source of wisdom. And being Mia's source of wisdom meant distancing herself from Sunwoo. These two viewpoints clashed a lot. That's why they weren't that close. Plus, the idea of Mia did take a while before it warmed up to Sunwoo. 

"How about I give you all hugs then? I miss you all after all," Mia suggested. Changmin was thrilled with the idea but he didn't show it. They had times when they would accidentally touch each other but a gesture of intimacy, like hugging, was something that felt like out of the question. But with Mia's suggestion, it might be closer to Changmin than he thought. 

"Sure," Chanhee eyed Changmin," Since I have my fair share of Mia hugs, Q is next."

"You can say he's next in queue," Sunwoo blurted out, which made most of the group roll their eyes, except for Jacob who seemed to appreciate the joke. 

Mia gave Chanhee one last squeeze, which in Chanhee's opinion, almost killed him, before she let him go. She then gave Changmin a back hug and put her head on Changmin's. 

"Oppa, Han?" 

All of the members on that table knew what it meant but they didn't say it out loud. It was obvious that she pertained to their encounters by the Han River. And Chanhee knew that was an advantage to Changmin. No other member had that type of intimacy with Mia but him. Walking by Han River with someone one could possibly be attracted to meant a whole another kind of closeness. Even Haknyeon never had the chance to walk with Mia alone by the Han. 

"Han," Changmin answered, trying to calm himself down," When?"

"Soon," Mia closed her eyes, smiling," I need that."

"Always here when you need it," Changmin reassured her. Before it could turn too mushy, he shook his head, tickling Mia with his hair. 

"Okay, I'm done with you, Sir Ji Changmin," Mia pouted, letting go of Changmin in the process. She then walked to Jacob and gave him a back hug similar to what he did to the previous members. 

"Mia-yah, don't be too shy to call me," Jacob said," You look so close with the younger members that I'm jealous of it."

"I want to talk to you more when I get better at English," Mia told him," So we can speak only in English. I want to get better at that language."

"Still," Jacob frowned," We can speak in Korean and switch in English in the middle of sentences. I want us to have a closer friendship."

Chanhee almost laughed at that last sentence, mainly because it looked like Jacob was picking up Mia. Changmin would never have the guts to say those words to Mia. He'd be too shy to blurt them out. But Jacob's words didn't faze Mia at all. She knew he was a sweet guy and seriously wanted a closer friendship with her as a brother. She didn't know how to approach Jacob properly but she guessed the effort was two-way with them. 

"Okay, I'll text you more then," Mia promised," So we'll be less awkward?"

"Yes, please," Jacob rubbed Mia's arms," I'd love that."

"My turn?" Sunwoo looked up to Mia. She chuckled at Sunwoo before letting Jacob go. 

"Impatient, Woo?" Mia asked. 

"Just cold," Sunwoo answered," Better warm me up, noona."

"That could sound totally wrong, Sunwoo," Chanhee commented. Sunwoo rolled his eyes and Mia chuckled, before she gave him the back hug he wanted. 

"Noona, don't use me as a fortune teller," Sunwoo said, holding onto Mia's wrist," You can baby me sometimes."

"How can I baby you when you baby me, Kim Sunwoo?" Mia hummed. 

"We can baby each other," Sunwoo pouted," I'd like to feel being babied by Lee Mia."

"Then I'll do that," Mia said, swinging Sunwoo from left to right," We can be babies together."

"Aren't you two big babies already?" Changmin commented. The two shot a glare at Changmin before continuing on with their own conversation. 

"Noona, let's go to the arcade soon?" Sunwoo asked. Mia paused for a second before telling him that she would update him about her schedule. 

"Let's see if we could arrange for that to happen," Mia said as she slowly slipped her arms from Sunwoo's grip. 

"Do we still need to hug? We'll meet next week anyway," Hyunjun asked. 

"Of course! We can't do much skinship at work after all," Mia mused before hugging Hyunjun," But because we'll meet at work, I don't need to give you a special message."

"You told me everything I needed to know earlier, noona," Hyunjun smiled knowingly. Mia tightened her grip around Hyunjun's neck. 

"What were you saying, Junnie?" 

"Nothing!" Hyunjun said which made Mia loosen her grip," You can be a great noona sometimes but you can be a scary one too."

"Those concepts aren't parallels, Hyunjun-ah," Mia mused," Anyway, you can all catch up amongst yourselves now! I have to go home."

Mia said her last goodbyes before she left the members at the table. She even waved at them when she was outside the cafe. Changmin couldn't honestly take his eyes off her. He was that attracted at that point. And the fact that she said she needed the Han rendezvouses they had? That was the icing to the cake. 

"Does hyung have a crush on noona?"

Suddenly, all of their eyes turned to Hyunjun, who innocently asked the question. He was observing Changmin for the whole time they were there, mainly because he thought the elder's actions were quite awkward and boxed. Hyunjun would've considered it as nothing if Changmin and Mia weren't close but those two had a world of their own. So, Hyunjun concluded that Changmin had a crush on Mia. 

"Which hyung? What crush?" Sunwoo asked, visibly confused. 

"Changmin-hyung," Hyunjun cleared out. Changmin tried to act confused, shaking his head. 

"How can I have a crush on her? She's our baby sister," Changmin said as an excuse. Hyunjun pointed out the little things he noticed during their cafe get-together. 

Changmin had his eyes on Mia for most of the time. 

He also tensed up whenever she was affectionate to another member, namely Chanhee and Sunwoo. 

Hyunjun also noted that rather than curiosity, Changmin looked like he was filled with jealousy when they were talking about Mia's worry. 

"That was thorough," Chanhee pointed out," I'm guessing the jig is up, Minnie."

"What jig?" Changmin tried to hide it still. Sunwoo snapped his fingers in front of Changmin. 

"Hyung, you can be such a terrible liar sometimes," the younger said before laughing. 

"Changmin, it's better to be honest at this point," Jacob advised," Especially with Hyunjun's observations, I think it's a closed case."

Changmin sighed. He didn't want to be outed like that in front of his members. His feelings for Mia... Well, he preferred for them to be private, but now that Hyunjun opened the box, Changmin's feelings were all over in front of them. Changmin knew he did his best to hide these feelings but he guessed he liked Mia more than he thought, to have it that obvious. 

"Why isn't Chanhee-hyung surprised?" Hyunjun asked. 

"Duh," Sunwoo looked at Hyunjun before he looked at Chanhee," They are best friends. And New-hyung can be pretty sharp with things like this."

"I hoped Changmin was a sharp one too," Chanhee teased, " But he can be pretty dumb sometimes."

"Ya, I'm right here," Changmin said, hitting Chanhee's back," I'm not dumb. I just... never thought I'd like someone this much?"

"This is fun!" Jacob clasped his hands," I never thought I'd talk about love with my members so soon!"

"This isn't love.. " Changmin's voice trailed off," I just want to date her."

"Surely, you won't leave it at that?" Sunwoo frowned," Noona deserves better than half assery. That's all I have to say."

"Liking Mia means getting through all of our members, to be honest," Jacob pointed out," Since we treat her like a sister, you have to go through each one like her brother... And then there's no assurance that she wants to date you too."

"Hyung, that hurts," Changmin put a hand up, as if signalling Jacob to stop," That's why I want to.. take it slow? Like take my time with my feelings for her."

"Yeah, rushing won't do any good but taking your time means one thing, Ji Changmin," Chanhee raised his index finger," You might fall in love with her. Are you willing to risk that?"

"You watch too many dramas, hyung," Hyunjun rested his chin on his hand," Or Changmin-hyung's feelings might fade, y'know. We don't really know what could happen."

"Hmm," Changmin crossed his arms and thought for a moment," Mia is worth the risk."

Changmin knew he wanted to kill Eric. 

What did the maknae do? 

Rewind the time, the other members part of the soulmates gc updated Eric about what happened, specifically about Changmin’s crush on Mia. And Eric, without thinking, sent a message exposing that crush to The Boyz gc. At that moment, everyone was aware of Changmin’s feelings. 

That was why he was in this situation he wanted to avoid.

Changmin found himself in front of Sangyeon and Jaehyun, the two members who really did act like Mia's older brothers. Sangyeon had his arms crossed, like Changmin was there to court his daughter, meanwhile, Jaehyun had this confused look on his face. 

"I can't believe I was right," Jaehyun was the one to break the silence," But I am."

"Right where?" Sangyeon asked. 

"Remember when we brought Mia home from drinking? I had a hunch," Jaehyun answered, looking at that moment at Changmin," that Changmin likes Mia."

"And you didn't say anything?" Sangyeon raised an eyebrow. 

"I thought I didn't need to," Jaehyun shrugged," But I guess it was true."

"How true is it, Q?" Sangyeon asked. Changmin did not want to make it obvious that he was afraid of Sangyeon. He was, normally, not afraid of their leader. Sangyeon, after all, never wanted to make it seem like he was unapproachable, but at that moment, Changmin saw a side of his that he never expected to see. 

"Answer my question," Sangyeon said sternly," How much do you like Mia?"

"I'm," Changmin did not really know how to answer. He did like Mia, like her enough that he wanted to date her, but if he measured it, he didn't know. He just knew that he liked her. 

"Changmin?" Jaehyun called for his attention. 

"I'm glad I'm not too late," Jacob entered the room suddenly," I mean, Changmin's not crying yet."

Changmin found himself in a room full of people who were older than him. He felt like he shrunk at that moment but at least, he had someone on his side. Jacob could help him out. 

"Don't scare the kid," Jacob said as he held Changmin's shoulder," He just has a crush."

"That shouldn't be taken lightly considering that they spend a lot of time together and that they are basically siblings! Changmin, Mia is our baby sister!" Sangyeon argued. 

"I never looked at her like that," Changmin bit his lower lip, " Mia was never a little sister to me."

"Ooh," Jaehyun smirked," What a twist."

"I've liked her all this time but I never really noticed it because she is The Boyz's little sister," Changmin continued, looking at Sangyeon," But now... "

"Are you serious with her, Changmin-ah?" Sangyeon asked. 

"Serious?" Changmin thought about it.

"You want to date her right?" Jaehyun said as he relaxed his back against the wall," Or you don't?"

"I do," Changmin said in a quiet voice," But I'm not sure if I'm the one for her. You know it well too. We're idols."

"That's it, Changmin," Sangyeon sighed," We're idols. Are you willing to balance our career plus her?"

"I already do now," Changmin thought it was embarrassing to admit it, especially because the other members were not aware of how often these Han meetings were sometimes. He explained to the older members about how he tried to be with Mia, especially when she seemed stressed out with work and school. 

"The only times I don't agree to going to her is when we have schedules at night," Changmin finished his explanation," That's why I sometimes disappear after curfew."

"You're practically dating at this point," Jaehyun pointed out before he chuckled," Regularly meeting at Han? It feels like a secret relationship."

"Changmin," Sangyeon sighed," You know very well that I don't want Mia to get hurt. We all don't. The rest of us treat her as if she is our own sister. That's why I want you to think about this carefully, especially if you're going to act on your feelings. I want you to be sure of your feelings."

"I've been thinking about it for a while, hyung," Changmin tried mustering up this courage," I want to date her. As far as that, I am sure. But feelings like love and like, will I really know that soon? I like her, like her enough to want to date her, but is that really enough? I don't know."

Jaehyun had this smile on his lips. He thought that Changmin really took this seriously. Of course, Changmin always did think of feelings seriously. He was a man that considered his emotions as something complex, to the point that he had trouble expressing them. But there he was, explaining to them his insecurities about his crush for Mia. 

It was adorable, if Jaehyun was honest. Changmin earned his approval just for that. 

"Sangyeon-hyung," Jacob said," I think we should let Changmin have a go at this. He could take care of her well."

"Well," Sangyeon paused," Let me ask you, Changmin, if you were caught by Deobis, what would you do?"

"Oof," Jaehyun whistled," This is the cost of being close to our fans. Are you willing to admit that you're dating Mia? Or will you tell them you're just friends?"

"To be honest," Changmin looked down. He was obviously conflicted but he knew what an idol should do. 

Deny all dating rumors. 

Would Mia be okay with that? Changmin did not know. 

"Changmin," Sangyeon snapped Changmin out of his daze," Your answer?"

"If someone asked personally about it, I would admit it," Changmin tried to answer carefully. He did not want to be rejected by the top brother of their group.

"And?" Sangyeon raised an eyebrow. 

"But I will try my best to hide her from our world," Changmin continued," Mia does not want to be known as an idol's girlfriend. She even said she did not understand why we love the limelight. So I want her to be my secret."

"Hm," Sangyeon paused once again," Changmin?"

"Yes, hyung?" Changmin lifted his head and looked at Sangyeon. He had this soft smile on his face. 

"To be honest, Mia will be the one deciding if she wants to date you or not. Even if I disapprove, she'll do what she wants. So," Sangyeon shrugged," Whatever her decision is, I will support her."

"Oh right! You could get rejected," Jaehyun vocalized his sudden realization," We pray you won't. I don't want to comfort a broken hearted giraffe."

"Don't bully Changmin like that," Jacob pouted as he held Changmin's shoulders," I'm sure it'll all end well."

"I hope so," Changmin gulped. 


	15. Fifteen

_"Mia..."_

Sunwoo was surprised to hear Changmin's voice when he was about to sleep. It was the same night they knew about Changmin's feelings for Mia. When Sunwoo thought about it, it should have been obvious. 

Especially with Changmin's tendency to sleep talk. And sleep talk he did that night.

Sunwoo slowly crept to Changmin's bed and watched him mumble in his sleep. 

"Mia-yah... Please..."

The younger member held Changmin's hand and answered "Please what, oppa?" in his most feminine voice ever. 

"Please... choose me..."

Sunwoo raised an eyebrow. Who else would Mia choose after all in their group? He was aware that Mia was a Kevinstan but she was the closest in Changmin. Haknyeon was automatically eliminated from the list of potential boyfriends for Mia, all because they had repeated again and again that they would never date each other. 

"I can't... without you.."

Sunwoo chuckled to himself. Changmin could deny how much he liked Mia all that he wanted but seeing him sleep talk like that was enough proof for Sunwoo to assume that Changmin was pretty serious with her. After thinking about it for a while, Sunwoo dropped Changmin's hand and smirked to himself. 

"Maybe I'll give hyung a hand?"

  
  


"Ah, fuck," Mia cursed under her breath. She accidentally dropped one of the props for Hyunjun's photoshoot.

It had literally been only a week since that cafe get-together but she was still bothered by Chanhee's words. She couldn't get it out of her mind. Which member was it? Did she have a preference on which member it would be? She didn't know. Sure, again, she had a crush on Kevin and she was very curious about Changmin as a boyfriend but dating sort of made her feel uneasy. She didn't want to jump in a relationship just yet after all and all she could do, to whoever it was, was to reject him. 

"Noona, can you pass me the water bottle?" Hyunjun asked from the make-up room. His voice was loud enough for Mia to hear it so she did what he said. She took one of the bottles lined up on the food table and brought it into the make-up room. There, she saw Hyunjun getting all dolled up for his photoshoot. 

"High fashion huh?" Mia said as she scanned Hyunjun's outfit. Hyunjun showed her a small smile through the mirror before signaling her to give him the water. When she handed him the bottle, Mia noticed Hyunjun mouth a little "thank you."

"Hey, Mi!" 

Mia groaned when she realized whose voice it was. She turned to the door frame of the room and saw Jaehee, hugging her iPad as if it was her baby. 

"I can't believe you got an opportunity to conceptualize a photoshoot like this, Hee," Mia said, hugging her best friend," You're working for the big leagues already."

"I was lucky," Jaehee shrugged," And since I can't really bag The Boyz for this... I could get our local full-time model here."

"Thanks for the money, noona," Hyunjun whistled," Your ultimate weapon's gotta eat."

"Thanks for accepting the offer, Hyunjun," Jaehee gave a little wave," Anyways, I have to talk to the photographer more so see you later, Mi."

"See you," Mia smiled at Jaehee before the latter left. She then turned her eyes back to Hyunjun. 

"What, noona? Haven't seen anyone this handsome?" Hyunjun asked before laughing. Mia shrugged.

"I have seen your group," she countered," You're all worth the visual title."

"Thanks," Hyunjun turned his head to Mia when the make-up artist was done with him," I pride myself as a forever member of that group rather than a former member."

"You're part of their family after all," Mia pulled a chair from the corner of the room to Hyunjun's side.

"You are too, noona," Hyunjun ruffled Mia's hair," As Haknyeon-hyung's twin sister, you are officially part of our family."

"Twin sister?" Mia laughed. Sunwoo did mention in a text before that she reminded him of Haknyeon more and more while their friendship lasted. Maybe one day, this meant being a carbon copy of Ju Haknyeon. Even Changmin noted a lot of similarities between them before she met The Boyz personally. 

"Noona, still bothered about the dating thing?" Hyunjun asked. Mia shrugged. 

"Been keeping my mind off it, y'know," Mia quietly said," If someone comes, I'll just see then. If it is one of you, well, I don't know."

Hyunjun kept his thoughts at the back of his mind. He pitied that Changmin had to have feelings for this girl. Mia seemed to have a lot on her plate. But Changmin was clearly aware of that. And he had pure intentions of liking her. Hyunjun didn't know where to place himself in this whole math problem. Whether he would set Changmin up with Mia or let Mia have her own pace with dating. 

"Noona, you mentioned in passing about your ex... But what did he really do for you to hate him that much?"

  
  


"Oh, fuck Eric."

Changmin paced back and forth in the practice room. It was obvious that he was mad. But he was also frustrated and anxious. The other members found out about his little crush on Mia.

How did they know?

Eric.

Changmin did not like how his members treated him that day. When Sangyeon saw him, he had this glint of protectiveness in his eyes. When Jaehyun and Eric passed by, they whispered "good luck." Juyeon, who sometimes didn't think about what he was going to say, asked him if he was sure. 

Chanhee shrugged when Changmin stopped in front of him. 

"There's no use getting bothered by it," Chanhee whistled," It's better for them to know. At least everyone will back off."

"But that's not what I want! I mean, sure, I want Mia to spend more time with me but she'll notice if the others don't spend time with her that much," Changmin exasperatedly said," Haknyeon may be an exception to that rule but we know how close Kevin and she could be then there are Eric and Sunwoo who are both clingy towards her. I just don't want whatever ecosystem we have here to change."

"And nothing will change," Chanhee reassured him," Look, even though Sunwoo knew about this, he still reminded Mia of her promise about the arcade. Jacob-hyung and Kevin still regularly text to her in English. And I haven't heard Mia complain about Hyunjun being awkward at work with her. But something that needs to change is you and her."

"Why should it change? I mean, Mia and I get along well!" Changmin finally sat down beside Chanhee on the floor.

"Well for friends but not so well for people who should be dating," Chanhee sighed," Now that we're sure none of the other members will shoot for Mia, we have to make sure of your next steps to get her."

"What if she doesn't want that?" 

"Min, if you keep thinking that, how the hell do you think you'll have a chance with her?"

"I just don't," Changmin frowned," She's a very busy woman and very independent. She doesn't need any boyfriend or anything."

"Oh, trust me, Changmin," Chanhee wagged his finger," You can be very wrong sometimes. And especially when it comes to the feelings of others. If she doesn't want to date you, well, she'll reject you directly when you ask her out. So try asking her out first. On a real date."

"What? Date?" Changmin widened his eyes," I haven't dated in like... I don't know! How can I ask her out?"

"Oh, don't ask me," Chanhee shook his head," Only one member here has been on a date with Mia and that's her best friend, Ju Haknyeon. I think it is better to ask him that question."

"Isn't it weird if I talk to-"

Changmin was cut off by their performance director entering the room. He knew he had to save his questions for their trip back home. It was weird to approach Haknyeon about Mia, especially that it was usually the other way around. Changmin was usually Haknyeon the second if Haknyeon was busy with his studies. But now, he had to ask Haknyeon how to ask Mia out on a real date. Whatever a real date consisted of. 

"Just ask him," Chanhee said as he hit Changmin's back. Before Changmin could react, his eyes focused on Haknyeon who just entered the practice room with Sunwoo. He guessed those two fixed whatever issues they had before. 

"What are you looking at, hyung?" Sunwoo asked when he noticed Changmin staring at them," Who do you need? Haknyeon or me?"

Changmin scratched the back of his neck before saying," No one. I was just thinking."

"Thinking of Mia maybe?" Sunwoo teased," I didn't know your type is workaholics, hyung."

"I'm so hurt you want to steal my Mimi away from me," Haknyeon said, grasping on his chest," I won't let you get her so easily."

"It isn't easy to get her even without your interference," Changmin mumbled, turning his back on them," I'm just thinking about our practice. We need to perfect this performance after all."

Sunwoo scoffed and rolled his eyes before he hugged Changmin from behind. He then whispered into the older's ears," Better confirm from noona if she still has a crush on Kevin-hyung before you make a move. Just some unsolicited advice from your favorite younger brother."

"I know," Changmin mumbled, shaking Sunwoo off," If she still does... I think it's better to give up."

Haknyeon whistled," Hyung, if that's the only thing that you worry about, better give up on her. She hates people who easily give up."

"She is stubborn," Changmin said," But I don't want to hope for nothing, I guess? And she's someone important to all of us, not just me."

"More of a reason to take care of her yourself then," Sunwoo argued," And how we view her, I think, is very different from how you view her."

"Can we change the topic, Sunwoo and Haknyeon?"

  
  


"You didn't need to treat me out again, Hyunjun. I can go shopping on my own," Mia shook her head as she quickened her pace. But because of how short she was compared to tall Hyunjun, the model easily kept up with her. 

"Noona, you dress horribly! You're a college student but you dress like a middle-aged man! All of your clothes that I praised you for are all gifts from Jaehee-noona," Hyunjun argued, continuing his sermon about Mia's clothing. Mia wasn't the type to shop a lot. She didn't have time after all. She was also saving up for her school expenses and her sister's college funds. Aside from that, her friends often gave her clothes and her boss in the fashion boutique also did. Mia's philosophy with clothing was it was better to spend the money for that on food instead. 

"But that is your money. I will not let you be my sugar daddy! You are my baby," Mia puffed her cheeks, still walking slightly ahead of Hyunjun. 

"I can be your baby and I can treat you to clothes. Come on," Hyunjun whined. They did get some looks from the people they passed by but since it was Myeongdong, it was normal to assume Hyunjun could be an ulzzang or a handsome college student, so he wasn't really flocked around. 

"No! Junnie, my clothes are fine," Mia turned to Hyunjun with a frown on her face," And I only go out like... Rarely! I don't even dress up much when I meet with Hakkie. Why do I need nice clothes?"

"Clothes maketh a man, noona. Can I at least treat you to one whole outfit?" Hyunjun sighed," Humor me with that please?"

Mia paused for a moment. Hyunjun really meant well but she thought the money on the clothes he would buy for her would only be a waste. Where would she even wear a fashionable outfit? 

"You give a situation, like drinking out with university friends or studying out in a cafe, then I will style you according to that," Hyunjun explained," Just one outfit. Happy?"

"Yes, I think it's better like that. Just don't go overboard with the brands? Please?" Mia pouted. Hyunjun gave a thumbs up. 

"So, category?"

"Han River strolling," Mia smiled at him," I think it'll be nice if I look pretty by the river. Maybe take some pictures?"

Hyunjun raised an eyebrow. The only person she spent time with at Han was Changmin. She was basically telling Hyunjun she wanted to dress up for Changmin. But Hyunjun thought it wouldn't be right to tease her about it. She did accidentally meet some of the other members there sometimes. 

"Junnie?" Mia tried calling for his attention. Hyunjun showed him a small smile. It shouldn't be obvious that he was reading into that situation she gave him. 

"Sure, let's go. I'll make you look prettier than the stars at Han," he said as he pulled her into the nearest store they could go to. 

The two of them spent the whole day together with Hyunjun expertly threading through the stalls as if he grew up there. Mia could only closely follow him, holding onto his coat from behind. She could easily get lost in the area. Sure, it was easy to find Hyunjun due to his height and how he dressed, but Mia would find it difficult to squeeze through crowds if people found out that Hyunjun was there.

Before they noticed it, the sun was already down. They figured they should catch their breath at the nearest park. After putting the shopping bags on the side of the bench, Hyunjun and Mia sat beside each other. Hyunjun checked the contents of the shopping bags while Mia was catching her breath. 

"You have lots of stamina, Junnie," Mia teased," Compared to me anyway."

"I work out, noona," Hyunjun chuckled," And you were running everywhere earlier, during the photo shoot. Sorry I couldn't help you."

"It's part of the job description," she shrugged," Anyway, I need your honest opinion, Junnie."

"On what?"

"Do you think you have a member who likes me? Be honest. And yes, I know it's silly but the thing Chanhee-oppa told me still bothers me and-"

"Yes," Hyunjun said it without thinking. When he realized it, he covered his mouth. That was what he was thinking all day after all, would this outfit fit Changmin's aesthetic if they ever do meet by the river? Would they look like a cute couple? 

"Of course not-" Mia paused," Yes? What do you mean yes? Who, Junnie? Who in their right mind would even-"

"Noona, it's just a guess," Hyunjun raised his arms as if he was surrendering," That's why I won't tell you which one. At least you're sure it isn't me. I really look at you as a little, I mean, big sister."

"I heard that, Heo Hyunjun!" Mia tickled Hyunjun for a moment before stopping. It was written in her face that she was worried about it. Hyunjun sighed. 

"Noona, do you perhaps like someone from the group?" Hyunjun asked," Or are you troubled because you don't have one?"

"Feelings are complicated, Hyunjun," Mia said as she looked up," And I don't want to complicate my feelings for The Boyz. You, all twelve of you, are my home. I don't want to risk that."

"Noona... " was all Hyunjun could say. 

He understood what she meant. Putting romantic feelings into the mix would complicate things, especially if she would ever break up with a member. And family didn't have that. Hyunjun thought it was sweet for Mia to view them like that but seeing Changmin determined to date Mia was also something he couldn't ignore. He was stuck in between. Hyunjun spent time with both of them without the other knowing, mainly because since he was forced to leave The Boyz, he stayed in another place. 

"Junnie, I hope I know what to do if that really happens," Mia almost whispered," Dating's so scary... I can't imagine being scared of my feelings for another person again. You know what happened before after all."

"Your ex was trash," Hyunjun clenched his fist," I can assure you, if anyone breaks your heart as he did, you have all of us behind you... Except if it's a member though then minus that member."

"That's so sweet, Junnie," Mia said as she hugged Hyunjun," Thanks for being here for me when I'm going through this."

"Always a pleasure, noona."

  
  


A few days after the mess that was Changmin assuming the wrong thing about Hyunjun and Mia, he thought asking Mia out should happen sooner or later, but he wasn't sure how he was going to do it. He didn't consider their Han river rendezvouses as dates. It was just them meeting as friends. That was why he was in Haknyeon and Jaehyun's room. He didn't usually hang out in another member's room but he had to approach Haknyeon alone. Aside from that, if other members heard him, he would surely get teased. 

"So that's it?" Haknyeon said as he slightly pouted. He was tinkering on his phone again, probably texting Mia. Changmin slowly nodded. 

"I.. I want to date her, to be honest, but I'm not sure how to go around it? I know she stated before that she was too busy to date but-"

"Then just ask her out," Haknyeon cut Changmin off before the older started mumbling again," Mia's a straightforward girl. Asking her out in a straightforward way is the best way to do it."

"But how do I.. How do I put it into our conversations or like," Changmin tried finding the right word," How I just ask her out."

"Shoot her a text or something," Haknyeon shrugged," You have her number right? You can text her now and I'll tell you how to answer."

"Wouldn't she notice it if I was being coached by you, Nyeon?" Changmin asked. Haknyeon shook his head. 

"Trust me, hyung. I am good with women," Haknyeon reassured him, taking Changmin's phone from his hand. He then took Changmin's finger to unlock the phone and went to the owner's contacts. 

"Don't read the-"

"You named her My Mia? Possessive aren't we?" Haknyeon raised an eyebrow. Changmin felt embarrassed but he didn't say anything back. He knew he'd only make the situation worse. Haknyeon proceeded to text Mia through Changmin's phone, starting with the common things like asking how she was, what she was doing, and where she was. Mia answered rather quickly, telling them that she was with Hyunjun and they were out shopping. 

"They're together again? I swear they sound like soulmates," Haknyeon commented, getting a look from Changmin. 

"Hyunjun doesn't have the same schedule as we do so it's expected she'd spend time with him if we aren't available," Changmin explained," Aren't you jealous?"

"Yes, I am. I am her best male friend!" Haknyeon puffed his cheeks," And hyung, it's not bad to admit you're jealous too. I mean... It is Hyunjun we are talking about. He can make girls and guys fall for him."

"Liking Mia means I have to deal with her being close to all of you though," Changmin scratched the back of his neck.

"Did you just admit you like her out loud? In front of me? Her closest friend here?" Haknyeon widened his eyes. His lips formed a teasing smile. 

"And what of it? I mean, I already admitted to the others that I have a crush on her," Changmin said as he pouted.

"If only you were this shameless in front of her, hyung," Haknyeon said," It'd be way easier for both of you."

"Both of us?"

"Well, seeing you're more proactive about this now, I assume you know Mia's worried that one of us likes her. You confessing would put a lot off your chests," Haknyeon explained," Why not Tuesday night? After our schedules on that day? Ask her to your Han meet-ups. You can consider that as a date. "

"Then what?"

"If you don't want to confess then, you can ask her out on a real date instead," Haknyeon continued," It's better than waiting for something to happen. Just tell me when the real date's going to happen so I won't ask her out on that day. I mean, I am her priority."

"This feels... I'm nervous about it?"

"Of course you are! This is a confession we are talking about. Do or die," Haknyeon had this determined look on his face," And I won't really interfere. Mimi hates it when I poke too much around her life."

"So," Changmin took his phone from Haknyeon's hand and read the conversation so far. How was he going to ask her out to Han? He usually sent her a text with ㅎㄱ. Those two characters basically meant Han River (한강) for both of them. But he was so nervous about it. 

"Ah, hyung, you won't get far with that attitude," Haknyeon said, watching the older's struggles in front of the phone. 

"Okay, I'll do it," Changmin sighed, shooting the text about meeting up with her at Han on Tuesday night. She replied quickly, a short 'call' message was all Changmin needed to celebrate in his head. 

"Now that you're meeting her this Tuesday, what are you planning to do?" Haknyeon asked. Changmin paused. "Don't tell me you haven't thought out what your conversation would be like," the younger stared at him. 

"Our conversations are always... unplanned? It feels authentic that way," Changmin answered. 

"But you're going to ask her out on a date date! You can't wing this exactly, hyung," Haknyeon frowned," We need Chanhee-hyung's help for this. He'd know what to do."


	16. Sixteen

It was D-1. 

The day before the confession day. 

Changmin was not sure if he was going to confess or what. He was nervous about it. He felt unsure of himself and his own feelings. What would he do, after all, if Mia rejected him? 

"How about you ask for a sign?" Younghoon asked as he patted Changmin's head. 

"A sign?" The dancer was not sure what he meant. 

"We released our comeback song today right? How about something related to that?"

"Then?"

"You can let the universe tell you whether you'll confess to Mia tomorrow," Younghoon explained," And how did I know? Nothing really troubles you more than her recently."

"Okay," Changmin paused," If we chart, I'll confess. If we get into the top 10 of any chart, I'll confess to her."

"Woah," Younghoon chuckled," You sound like you don't want to."

"I sort of... don't?" Changmin sighed," I mean, I do want to date her-"

"Oh god, I'm hearing this directly from you," Younghoon gasped," I can't believe I'll hear you say this."

"Hyung, we're close."

"Even so! You've been pretty shy about your feelings for her," the older member grinned," It's refreshing to hear you be honest about something you want."

"I am honest," Changmin said matter-a-factly," I just don't want things often."

"But you want her," Younghoon said, emphasizing the last word," I hope we chart then you'll confess then we can have her officially as part of us."

"Confessing does not mean she'll accept my feelings," Changmin put his head on Younghoon's shoulder," It doesn't mean everything will go well."

"I trust it will, Changmin-ah," Younghoon caressed his head," If it doesn't, well, I'm sure as long as you are able to accept that, she can still be close with you."

"I'm praying... I'm praying our feelings are mutual."

"What are you doing? It's our sleepover but you keep listening to the same song over and over!" 

Jaehee threw a pillow at Mia. Yes, currently, they were all at Jaehee's apartment, having a sleepover. Her roommate was out again with her boyfriend, hence, they had the building all to themselves. The whole crew was there: Jaehee, Mia, Byul, and Sena. And this was all so they could catch up with each other. 

"I want to support them. They just had a comeback after all," Mia said as she caught the pillow," So I'm streaming their songs. It'll mean a lot to them if they saw me stream."

"Can I help with that?" Sena offered her phone," They've been taking care of you. It's the least that I can do to thank them."

"Really, eonni?" Mia's eyes twinkled before she took Sena's phone," We can just let it play with the earphones plugged in then we can talk."

"Since you opened the topic about The Boyz," Byul clasped her hands together," I'm going to ask you directly. Do you or do you not have any intentions to date them?"

"Byul! Nice question," Jaehee gave a thumbs-up," You've been so wishy-washy about it that now... considering that there is a member who likes you, you should think about it seriously. Or else, it'll have a bad end for both of you."

"Hmm," Mia paused," To be honest, I do want to date. I'm 22 (Korean age)! I'm young. I should date around but then... They're idols."

"That did not stop Jongdae," Jaehee said," And that man has a family now."

"Hee... They're rising idols. I don't want to ruin it for them," Mia looked down," Especially for Changmin-oppa."

The three friends looked at each other with the sudden revelation. Changmin? Did she just mention a specific member? Byul crawled to Mia and held her hands. 

"So it's Changmin? The guy you always hang out with at Han?" she asked. Mia, realizing what she did, immediately shook her head. 

"It's not what you think it is," Mia sharply inhaled," It's just that... Oppa is Cre.ker's first trainee and he really worked hard to get where they are now and-"

"You like him, don't you?" Sena cut her off. It was obvious that Mia was only excusing herself. She liked Changmin. She may have liked Changmin before that night but she was oblivious with her own feelings. 

"Like..?" Mia said, looking down," I don't know... I mean, oppa has been so kind to me and so gentle. He always makes me laugh when I'm sad. He always tries to understand me. Sure, he can get annoying, but there's something about him that tells me that I can tolerate him. "

"Tolerate?" Jaehee laughed," And with that, case closed! Mimi, my baby, you like that Changmin dude."

"No, I don't-"

"You do," Sena said calmly," and that's okay. Liking people is normal, Mia. You don't have to stop yourself from it."

"I have to," Mia sighed,'' What if he doesn't like me? I mean, I am The Boyz's little sister. What if he views me as only that?"

"You won't know unless you try," Jaehee said, taking her phone out. She knew she needed to tell Haknyeon about this. It was important news for him. But as soon as Jaehee pressed send, Mia received a phone call. 

It was from Haknyeon. 

"You can take that," Byul said, gesturing to the phone," I think it's important if he calls this late at night."

"Thanks," Mia nodded and answered the call. All Mia heard was screaming. It sounded like they were in the practice room. 

"Mimi!!" Haknyeon screamed," We charted!! We charted on Hanteo and on Melon and this is the highest... Oh my god."

"Congratulations!" Mia replied," I'm sure all your hard work paid off. How are the others taking the news?"

"A lot of us are crying," Haknyeon answered, turning on the video call. He showed the many members on the floor. Mia could only laugh at the situation. Everything seemed to be against the favor of The Boyz, but seeing that they were able to chart their best, it seemed like things were going alright. 

"Yah, noona," Eric waved at the video," You heard? We got into the top 20! Celebrate with us tomorrow!"

"Alright," Mia laughed," I'll be with Changmin-oppa tomorrow anyway so we can go there together."

Eric raised an eyebrow about that. Oh right, the two were supposed to meet at Han. Rumor had it that Changmin was going to confess. But Eric was unsure about the timing. But then again, he was not Changmin nor Mia. He would not understand how each of them felt. 

"Okay! See you then-"

"Let's do a Vlive to thank Deobis!"

Mia knew that was Sunwoo's voice. That boy was really in love with his fans that she doubted that he would date any time soon. 

"You heard that, right?" Haknyeon asked," This means goodbye for now, Mimi. See you tomorrow?"

"See you, Hakkie," Mia smiled as she hung up. 

"This is a sign," Byul said," The universe is smiling at you."

"What..?" Mia raised an eyebrow," What do you mean?"

"The Boyz charted? While you were having doubts with Changmin? It's obvious that the universe is telling you to go for it," Byul explained.

"Go for what?" Mia asked. 

"Try to ask Changmin out," Sena said," I think the universe is telling you that doing nothing about Changmin would only stop you from growing."

"Not you too," Mia sighed," Okay, if... A big hypothetical if... if he arrives before me at Han tomorrow, I will go for it. If not, then I guess we aren't meant to be."

"The universe is gonna be mad at you for making them your very own matchmaker."

It's D-day. 

Changmin prepared for this day since he asked Mia out. It was one of their usual Han river meet-ups but he knew that'll be the most different one out of all of those. He had to ask her out on that night. That would end Mia's worries about which member liked her and end Changmin's thoughts about her if she rejected him anyway. 

Changmin was there early. He was sitting on the grass, staring at the river. He was thinking about what he would say to her. What if she would say yes? What if she would say no? What if Changmin couldn't let out his feelings clearly? His mind was full of negative thoughts. 

"Oppa?"

And then his mind went blank. 

Changmin turned his back and saw Mia in a different get-up that she usually would wear. It was more feminine and looked more expensive than the hand-me-downs she would usually wear for their Han meet-ups. He was so distracted by how she looked that he forgot to answer back to her. 

"Earth to oppa? Hello?" Mia said as she walked towards him," Do I look weird? Hana said it looked good on me. Hee did too"

"Er.." Changmin was scrambling to find the words," Yes, of course! It does look good on you. But why the sudden-"

"I thought I'd want to take some pictures here and since you are one of the picture masters of The Boyz, why not?" Mia smiled at him. Changmin knew he liked her too much at that point. She wasn't the prettiest girl he met, because he was in the entertainment industry, but she was the most beautiful. It was cliche. He admitted it to himself. But he wanted her so much, especially seeing her all dolled up like that. 

"Oppa?" Mia clapped her hands in front of Changmin's face," Are you malfunctioning? Something bothering you? "

"Oh, no, nothing," Changmin tried returning to his senses. He shouldn't be too distracted by her. He didn't want to creep her out or scare her. He wanted to act like he usually did around her but something about that night felt so different. 

"You did call me out to go here," Mia offered her hand so Changmin could stand up," You only make the first move when one, something is bothering you, or two, no one wants to walk by Han with you."

"Then it's one," Changmin said as he held Mia's hand. Even though Mia was shorter than Changmin, she was able to pull him up. Strength in a small package, as Changmin would describe her. "Something is bothering me," Changmin almost whispered when he stood up close to Mia. 

"What is it?" Mia looked up to him. They were close to each other but not too close for either of them to get flustered. Scratch that, it was close enough for Changmin to get flustered but he didn't want to show it. "Oppa, are you avoiding my eyes?"

"No!" Changmin put his eyes back at her. She did wear make-up and he knew that it was freshly applied. He was sure Mia dressed up for their meet-up. He was building up the hope that maybe she did like him back. "Just thinking of things," Changmin muttered before he started walking. 

"Thinking of what?" Mia quickly caught up to him," Is it your training? Sasaengs? Haters? Or perhaps, Cre.ker?"

"None of the above. It's more of... Personal?" Changmin answered," I'm not sure though if I can voice it out."

"If you're not ready to share it then it's okay," Mia looked down at their feet," I won't force you to tell me something you aren't ready to share."

"Mia, I have a question," Changmin said," about dating."

"Dating?"

"I think it's been months since we knew each other... And I asked you about this during our first meet up too. What do you think about dating?"

"I think I might be ready to get back to it? But it still feels scary, to be honest," Mia looked at him. Changmin noticed how pained she looked. Whoever was the last guy she dated really hurt her. And Changmin's chest felt tighter as he continued to look at her. 

"Is it okay if you tell me about your ex?" He had the courage to ask. Mia looked reluctant. Of course, she was. It was a sensitive topic for anyone. "I won't force you to tell if you don't want to, Mia. I don't want to open a box full of hurt if-"

"His name was Jisung," Mia cut him off," We dated during our senior year of high school. So you know from that that we didn't really last long. We were.. We've known each other for a long time. Jaehee knows him well. But I guess, no matter how long you know a person, you wouldn't really know who they are if they hide it from you."

"What did he do, Mia?" Changmin asked, visibly intrigued by the story. Mia looked away. She didn't want Changmin to notice the anger and frustration in her face. She knew she couldn't erase the pain she felt when she talked about her last ex. 

"I was basically a front for him. Who would mess with us after all? I was one of the top students... He was the best at Science. I am the type to stand up for myself and he was never afraid of getting into fights. We were strong together," Mia clasped her hands together," He loved that feeling of being unstoppable. But I knew he didn't really love me. Of course, he wouldn't leave marks on me. He knew I was a smart one. But he would emotionally drain me... And I was the fool who let him do what he wanted if it meant he would stay."

"I couldn't imagine you being helpless to some guy."

"He wasn't some guy. He was Jisung. He held my heart and he knew it. He knew it and played with it. And it didn't stop there," Mia wanted to scream, remembering those memories she wanted to bury. But she was with Changmin. She was walking by the Han river. It felt like it was the perfect time to unpack her feelings. Even if it meant looking stupid in front of Changmin, she didn't care. 

"Mia..." Changmin held her hand, as a gesture of comforting her. Mia still didn't look at him. "Mia, if it's too much, you can just-"

"I heard a rumor about Jisung. And that's when it was over. He kept a USB full of... Inappropriate material. The stuff he never should've had a copy of but he did. I investigated it, you know? Because I didn't want to believe it," Mia continued, her voice shaking," But he did. It wasn't a rumor. Everything just... It wasn't just me at that point, y'know? Me and Jisung... We never did adult things because I was busy but this concerned all the other girls in my school."

"So what happened to Jisung?" Changmin asked. 

"He graduated. He threatened me because I was the only one who saw it personally. I can confirm the rumor but I... I didn't want to jeopardize my graduation because of this one piece of trash."

"So you didn't file a report to the police? Or school?"

"Jisung is richer than me... I don't stand a chance," Mia finally looked back at Changmin. Her eyes were sparkling due to the tears forming in them. "I just broke up with him. It was a messy one-- I swear. But I did love Jisung with all of my heart."

"Is that why you're still doubtful about dating?" 

Mia slowly nodded. Changmin tightened his grasp on her hand, caressing the back of her palm with his thumb. He wanted to ask her out that night but he felt like it was such a bad time. With a heavy story like that, it seemed impossible for Changmin to tell her his feelings. 

"But I think I'm ready to get back to it," Mia almost whispered," It's been what? 3 years I think. I moved on. I'm a different person now. Jisung is too, I hope. Not all people are like him. I mean, you aren't trash, oppa."

"I'll take that as a compliment then," Changmin chuckled. 

"Mhm, you should," Mia hummed. Both of them forgot that they were still holding hands. Soon, silence loomed over the pair. They walked quietly beneath the starry sky. Despite the emotional sharing Mia did, it felt right being with Changmin at that moment. He made her feel safe. How many secrets had she told him after all? She couldn't count how many. She only knew he kept them well. 

"Would you try dating again then?" Changmin asked to break the silence.

"It depends on the person," Mia finally smiled," But yeah, I would."

"How about me?"

Mia turned her head to the idol, eyes widened as if Changmin said the biggest expose story there was. That's when she noticed their hands were still together and she pulled hers back. Changmin chuckled at her reaction. He didn't expect her to be this surprised about it, especially with all the members knowing about his feelings. He also didn't expect to see her flustered.

"So.. What.. Chanhee-oppa said? You? Me? What?" Mia lost her composure for a minute, pointing to Changmin then to herself. She inhaled deeply and tried restructuring her words," You're the one Chanhee-oppa meant?"

"And what did Hee actually mean?" Changmin asked, amused by how Mia was taking his indirect confession. 

"One of his friends liked me... We actually talked about you guys as boyfriends, you know what fans do. Then he told me that and..." Mia frowned, trying to suppress herself from getting too nervous about the situation, “So I assumed it was about a member but that is impossible considering the sibling relationship I have with you all and-"

"Is that a rejection then?" Changmin tilted his head," I admit I want to try out dating with you, Mia. I like you."

"Don't say that please," Mia covered her ears," Are you sure about that? Like you're an idol. The public sees you. I'm a normal girl who doesn't want to be seen."

"Do you like me, Mia? Do you want to date me?" Changmin went in front of Mia and removed her hands from her ears," I can hide secrets pretty well. You know that best. So if you want to remain a secret, I can do that too. But I can't keep my feelings as a secret."

"You say the cheesiest things," Mia looked up to him," But are you really sure about this? About me? About everything?"

"I've never been this sure for a long time," Changmin had a smile on his face. He did not know where this confidence and courage came from.

"Really?"

"Really," Changmin chuckled," Yes, I'm an idol. Yes, it's a risk for us to date, but you're worth it. You're a secret I would love to keep for myself if you let me."

"Alright," Mia answered softly," Let's try out this dating thing... I like you too, after all."

_ "Fuck yes!"  _

The pair turned their heads and saw Sunwoo dancing behind a tree. Soon, other members of the soulmatez plus Haknyeon revealed themselves. 

"Don't look at me, Minnie, I was worried," Chanhee shrugged when he approached the two," You aren't the best at flirting after all."

"And you know more?" Changmin raised an eyebrow. As the two continued to squabble on their own, Haknyeon ran to Mia and hugged her tightly. 

"I told you you'll get on with someone in The Boyz," he almost shrieked," I still feel like I should be slightly mad at hyung for stealing you away but I know you'll always put me first."

"I always will, stupid," Mia pinched Haknyeon's nose," You are my little Hakkie."

"Won't hyung be jealous of how close you two are?" Eric asked. 

"If Mimi and I weren't close, hyung wouldn't even get to talk to her! I'm his bridge," Haknyeon said," Of course I know my limits but hyung should know his, as Mia's someone."

"It's weird having a someone," Mia rubbed her arm," It's been so long."

"I'll make you get used to it then," Changmin suddenly held Mia's shoulders," I've been really holding back, Mia."

"Told you," Chanhee smirked," A friend of mine likes you."

"Oh, I know," Mia chuckled," I know Ji Changmin's been holding back but the pace will be decided by Lee Mia."

"Of course, Ma'am," Changmin whistled," What do you suggest?"

"We're going into this one step at a time. I don't want to rush things," Mia said sternly," But if you're impatient, I can-"

"No," Changmin shook his head," This is why I like you, Mia, you establish your own rules and follow them."

"Oh god, don't flirt in front of us," Sunwoo groaned, looping his arm with Jacob's," We have children here."

"Anyways, I'm just trying this out with oppa," Mia said," I haven't dated in a while so... I'm not even sure if I'm comfy enough to say that we're in a relationship."

"We can take as slow as you want," Changmin smiled at her reassuringly," I'm that glad we have something going on now."

"Oh yeah," Haknyeon looked like he remembered something," The hyungs said we'll eat out today. Wanna come, Mimi? Introduce you to them now as hyung's lady friend?"

"Lady friend?" Mia laughed," I'd be honored."

"You two will become boyfriend-girlfriend soon anyway," Sunwoo muttered," This something (썸) stage is really confusing."

On their ride to the restaurant where the others were, they couldn’t fit in one taxi. Hence, they divided themselves into two groups. The funny thing about this was Changmin and Mia found themselves in separate taxis. It was mostly the youngest members’ fault as Eric, Haknyeon, and Sunwoo wanted to spend time with her. Changmin was stuck with the older ones, which were Chanhee and Jacob. 

“So, because hyung is not here,” Eric started the conversation,” Do you really like hyung?” 

“Of course she does!” Haknyeon said,” I mean, Mimi wouldn’t take up the dating offer if she didn’t right…” 

“Let noona talk!” Sunwoo interjected,” What about it, noona?” 

“Umm…” Mia smiled nervously. It was an odd feeling, an odd experience altogether, to be confessed to by an idol. Changmin was someone who basked under the limelight. He loved the attention. His whole career was built on getting the attention of others. Mia was the opposite. She lived in the shadows, quietly working hard towards her dreams. She thought attention was something that could ruin her efficiency when it came to work, hence she avoided serving people who gave her the ‘look.’ 

Why, then, did she like Changmin as much as she did at that moment?

It was not a sudden thing, surely, but it was something she accumulated through all of their meet-ups. Every interaction slowly built up the thing they had between each other. At that moment, when these three were curious about Mia’s feelings for Changmin, she was not sure how to answer without sounding weird. Maybe a simple answer was enough.

“Yes,” Mia nodded.

“Why?” Eric asked,” You spend time with all of us. What makes hyung so special?”

“He is him, I guess?” Mia stared at the rearview mirror in front of her,” I feel at home with oppa. I feel safe… It’s not that I don’t feel safe around you. No. It’s just that... Changmin-oppa… Oh lord, I don’t know how to explain this.”

As Mia awkwardly laughed, the rest of the people in the taxi exchanged looks. They knew that her feelings were sincere. Her words may not explain it well but her eyes looked different when she was trying to answer the question. Sunwoo watched enough dramas and movies to know what love looks like, and that was what Mia felt. Even though she was not aware of how deep her feelings for Changmin were, Sunwoo knew it would not take too long before Changmin and Mia date for real. 

In the other taxi, Chanhee and Changmin were both pissed at Sunwoo. Changmin could have gotten the shotgun seat, at least be in the same taxi as Mia, but he did not. Sunwoo was too quick. He could not argue if Mia was quiet about it, so he let it go.

In front of Mia anyway.

“I cannot believe Sunwoo pulled up a stunt like that!” Changmin almost screamed,” I was the one who confessed! What about me?”

“Sunwoo might be afraid that you’ll steal her away, you know,” Jacob explained,” I know what Sunwoo did was childish, but same as Eric and Haknyeon. You can’t blame him alone.”

“I still will,” Changmin crossed his arms and pouted,” Sunwoo…”

“Anyway,” Chanhee rolled his eyes,” Nothing will happen if we backstab Sunwoo during this whole cab ride. How about this? How does it feel being the guy who broke the dating ban rule.” 

“Oh right,” Jacob snapped his fingers,” We have that.”

“I mean the ban ends this December so,” Changmin shrugged.

“As long as you two don’t get caught by the media or Cre.ker,” Chanhee whistled,” We’re safe. You’re safe.” 

“I will be,” Changmin reassured Chanhee,” I mean, we haven’t been caught before. And I’m sure she does not want any attention from Dispatch.”

“Oh boy,” Chanhee held his cheek,” I’m sure that will be the end of your relationship if that happens…”

“Anyway,” Jacob clasped his hands,” I have a question. What do you like about Mia? I mean, we don’t talk a lot about this and I’m curious about it.”

“What…” Changmin felt his cheeks burning up.

“Come on,” Chanhee lightly hit Changmin’s arm,” Jacob-hyung’s family. Don’t be shy.”

“She…” A surge of memories suddenly flooded in his mind. He remembered the first time he saw her in the convenience store. He honestly thought she and Haknyeon would end up together but they did not. He remembered the first time he bumped into her at the Han River. He remembered her vulnerability when they talked and how sarcastic she was sometimes. She always talked about her family and her friends. She was so strong and she reminded him of Changmin’s sisters. 

“Hm?” Chanhee raised an eyebrow.

“Because Mia’s Mia,” Changmin simply said,” I like her for being her.”

“Like only?” Chanhee scoffed,” Are you sure about that?”

“If I say I love her, doesn’t that sound too fast?” 

“Hmm,” Jacob thought for a moment,” You’ve known each other for months. I don’t think that’s too fast.”

“But considering that you two aren’t immediately dating, maybe it is for her,” Chanhee explained,” But I’m asking you, Min, do you love her at this point? Don’t worry. It’s just us here.”

“Okay,” Changmin inhaled,” I do. But I’m afraid of confessing that or she might be scared… She is afraid of commitment right now. Saying that I love her... “

“We understand, little one,” Jacob said as he smiled at Changmin,” Take your time. Love should not be rushed.”   
  


When Changmin announced to the members that they were "dating", every member had their own way of reacting to it. Sangyeon and Jaehyun were very protective of Mia, asking her if she was sure about her choice. Kevin was very supportive but Changmin couldn't help getting slightly jealous of how Mia would get flustered when she talked to him. Juyeon and Younghoon were surprised Mia even had feelings for Changmin, since both of them assumed she liked Kevin more. Hyunjun, who managed to sneak out of his apartment, was relieved that everything went well and he was proud that Mia wore the outfit he chose for her. 

"Are you sure you don't want to tell your friends about this soon? As in like... Tonight? We can invite them here," Changmin whispered into Mia's ear," I know we're just trying this out if it'll work for us, but I think this is a big deal with you not... You know."

"If you insist, I can tell them," Mia answered," I'm not sure if the others are ready to see Jaehee glaring at them though."

"I'm sure they can handle it," Changmin laughed," So I can meet your friends too. You can invite every person in your gang."

Mia, at first, thought twice about inviting Jaehee and the others, but she also thought of the free food they could get from here. After around thirty minutes, Jaehee slammed the door of the restaurant open and shouted "What do you mean-"

Mia was quick enough to cover her mouth and lead her to their table. 

"Yes," she told her best friend," I'm sort of... dating Changmin-oppa."

"Did he arrive before-" Jaehee was cut off by Mia's glare. 

"Don't say that here. It's embarrassing if he knew," Mia took a step closer to Jaehee," And he confessed first." 

"Anyway, I'm happy when you are," Jaehee hugged her," Why does this feel like I'm sending you off to marriage?" 

"Hopefully, it'll go there," Mia muttered. Before Jaehee could react, the Choi siblings, Byul and Taeyang, entered the restaurant. Byul immediately ran to Mia and joined the hug while Taeyang relaxingly went to the trio. 

"Sena's not here yet?" Taeyang asked, looking around. He then accidentally met eyes with Haknyeon with the poor idol avoiding his gaze. 

_ 'Why does he look familiar?' _

"Haknyeon? Is that you?" Taeyang approached Haknyeon, holding onto his shoulder," It is you!"

Mia watched as she noticed Haknyeon fiddling his fingers in front of Taeyang. Did they know each other? Why was Haknyeon so nervous about Taeyang? Was this what she thought it was? 

"Oppa," Mia tugged Changmin's top," Look there."

Changmin looked at the direction Mia was pointing at and laughed. 

"It looks like dating won’t be something foreign in the The Boyz’s dorm.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for going on this LOOOONG journey with me HAHAHAH i had fun writing this AU as this is my first tbz au so I hope you liked it!! This au is way different from the other oneshots i posted throughout these months (esp that there isn't a lot of angst here) BUT STILL IT WAS FUN!! if u have any thoughts or questions, please don't be afraid to talk to me on Twitter @sweeetapplee ! I love yall hope you're all safe and healthy <33


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